“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” …James 1:2
As I am sitting here writing this article, America is in one of its biggest trials, COVID-19. This virus has caused a national and international mayhem of fear, uncertainty, and worst of all…death. If we reflect back on the scripture I shared above, one might find it crass or a lack of sympathy to suggest that we should “count it all joy” in such a time as this, but if we are true followers of Christ, we should know that COVID-19 did not come as a surprise to God nor did it catch Him off-guard.
The purpose of this article is not an attempt at trying to explain if God knew this was coming then why did He not prevent it from happening, but more to provide encouragement on how we should respond to His allowance of trials and tribulations in our lives.
In the scripture of James 1:2-3, James suggests that a person should “count it all joy WHEN you fall into various trials”, so let’s focus on the word when. “When” is an adverb and it is defined as, “at what time”. So, it comes as no surprise that James chose to use the word “when”, because he knew as well as Jesus Christ did, that as Christians we will have trials on earth. (John 16:33, Romans 5:3, 1 Peter 4:12). Therefore, as followers of Christ, our expectations of trials should not be, “none at all”, but they should be “but when”.
Next in the same scripture, James suggests that we should “count it all joy”. Wait a minute, “joy”, we are expected to be joyful when going thru trials? Yes, we should. We should be joyful because of the fact of knowing that the trials do not last for long. And most importantly, any trial that we are faced with, Jesus has already overcome the world ( i.e. trials) so we will not be in bondage to it. In the Book of John, scripture verse 16:33, it reads, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me, you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”. Therefore, if God is telling us to “be of good cheer” in our trials, it is because He knows that we will come out more mature in our faith and have freedom from bondages. And lastly, as Christians, we are the light and salt of this world, so when the world sees us going thru trials with joy, it clearly shows that there is a One True Living God.
“Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience”…James 1:3. The word “testing” in this part of the scripture sometimes causes a lot of confusion with believers. Many Christians oftentimes view their “trials” as a form of punishment from God. If God is allowing a trial in our lives, it is because He is the author and only good will come from it. Trials do not mean that God is displeased with us nor is He testing us to see if we will fall or sin. When we are facing trials, His mission is to grow us into the maturity of our faith and walk more closely with Him.
“Faith produces patience”…James 1:3. Before I tackle, “faith produces patience”, there must be a clear understanding that trials do not produce faith. A person either had faith going into the trial or no faith at all. For non-believers, going into a trial is not going to magically produce a faith outcome. For the most part, a non-believer is not going to understand the premise for the trial and will most likely sum it up as a streak of “bad luck” or “bad karma”. For believers, that is God’s intent and purpose behind a trial is to mature or grow our faith. Since trials do not produce faith, then what does? What produces faith is reading and hearing God’s Word on a daily basis. Romans 10:17 reads, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”.
Now that we have an understating what produces faith, let’s learn about what faith produces during a trial. According to James 1:3, …”faith produces patience”. It is no surprise that patience is produced from a trial seeing that it is one of the Fruit of the Spirit. Patience is defined biblically as the quality or virtue of endurance or forbearance. It is a quality of self-restraint or of not giving way to anger, even in the face of provocation. Many of our trials can come by way of being provoked or non-provoked. Either way, sometimes anger, resentment, and bitterness can take root in a believer which can cause them to want to escape the trial. However, escaping the trial prematurely will prevent faith maturation and most importantly prevents God’s plan for your victory on the other side of the trial. That is the reason why in James, we are encouraged to allow our faith to produce patience so that we will not miss out on what God is trying to impart into our lives spiritually. It is during the trail that as our faith matures, we will develop patience and wisdom to know that God still sits on His throne, He is in control, and that He only wants the best outcome for His children.
Many believers struggle thru trials because we lack the proper “tools” needed to prepare and endure. Here are the Five R’s” to dealing with a trial:
- “Recognize” that is a trial. Especially if it comes out of nowhere and it is unexplainable.
- “Remember” it has a purpose. Seek God thru prayer for the purpose of the trial.
- “Refocus” your eyes off of the trial and focus on God.
- “Restore” your prayer life and time with God.
- “Rejoice” in knowing that God’s promises are true and that the trial will pass.
Hopefully this article has opened our eyes to the purpose and reasons behind our trials. In addition, I pray that the “5 R’s” to dealing with a trial will find themselves useful at a time when we find ourselves facing a trial.
In closing, if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and would like to be saved and have everlasting life, then please read the following scripture aloud and believe in your heart, then you will be saved and the angels will rejoice in Heaven and your name will be written in the Lambs Book of Life.
Romans 10:9…”that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”. Amen!
Go with Christ today!
Sharing in God’s Love,
Tamela D. Bowie
