James 1:2-8 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of
various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your
faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness
have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking
in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask
God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given
him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting,
for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and
tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose
that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is
a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
If I am honest, this command
has frustrated me in times past. On the surface, it seems to promote
a grin-and-bear-it, everything-is-happy kind of a perspective toward
life and its difficulties, which strikes me as insincere, frustrating,
and annoying. In times of enduring uncertainty and excruciating trials,
how can I be expected also to produce any type of positive feeling about
the whole ordeal?
As it turns out, this happy-go-lucky
front is not what James is calling us to, and I was both challenged
and encouraged again recently as I reflected on the passage.
(Here’s the reader’s digest
version)
- This perspective
VIEWS TRIALS THROUGH THEIR OUTCOME.
- TRIALS PRODUCE STEADFASTNESS/MATURITY/COMPLETENESS.
- Sometimes, COMPLEXITY
REQUIRES WISDOM (GOD-INPUT), WHICH RECOGNIZES WHO IS ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE OUTCOME.
- Trials not only
REFINE THE QUALITY of faith, but they also TEST THE NATURE of faith.
Are we actually double-minded?
- Trials are part
of the VERY MEANS GOD USES TO MAKE US MATURE/SOLID.
First, this passage calls us
to a perspective which VIEWS TRIALS THROUGH THEIR OUTCOME. That is,
we know that a rock-solid faith is only gained through the fires of
life and its struggle. I have these great and precious promises from
God, and I say that I believe them, but how do I know? I know
my faith is real when hang onto the promise of God, even though I am
completely unable to fix the situation with my own plans.
So, when life is hard, and
I realize again my own weakness, I also know ahead of time that TRIALS
PRODUCE STEADFASTNESS. When I am in the middle of it, I look forward
to the invisible yet promised outcome. Not that God saves my home from
foreclosure at all costs, but that my faith is becoming rock-solid (mature).
Maybe He is drawing me to Himself by breaking my trust on a plot of
land, or maybe He will open the door for me to refinance my mortgage
in the 11th hour. Personally, I don’t know, and it would
be stupid for me to make sweeping generalizations on particular situations.
However, I am able to trust because of this FAITH I have in the person
and promises of God, and it will result in a complete person, a veteran
who is lacking in NOTHING, if we stay in the fire without taking the
easy way out, without compromising.
Sometimes, life is much simpler
than we make it, and there is a clear way that we should obey. However,
sometimes the choice is not clear, and the decision difficult. So if
we don’t know, if we LACK WISDOM about what to do, we must ask from
God. Sometimes COMPLEXITY REQUIRES WISDOM (GOD-INPUT). That means, I
will not know the right solution unless I go to God. And, in case we
think He is malicious, James reminds us that He gives wisdom generously
to everybody, without reprimand. So, when I don’t know what to do,
I must ASK. This recognizes WHO IS ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OUTCOME.
What if He doesn’t answer,
what if I don’t know? Trials not only REFINE THE QUALITY of faith,
but they also TEST THE NATURE of faith. That is, when things are rough,
and I ask God for wisdom, I prove myself to be DOUBLE-MINDED when I
doubt that He will make good on His promise. He promises wisdom, and
when I doubt, it shows my faith NOT to be STEADFAST, but actually I
am UNSTABLE in all my ways. So, instead of becoming rock-solid, it is
exactly the opposite: I am sloshed around like waves.
So, IS GOD TRUSTWORTHY? Is
Jesus with me, never leaving me, like He promised? Did this life difficulty
take God by surprise, and I have to help figure out the solution?
I can consider trials “joy”
when I realize my faith is rooted, not in the solution to the trial,
but in the One Who holds the solution, when I realize that God always
has what is best (even when it hurts terribly). There is both peace
and joy in knowing, in trusting. Trials are not necessarily punishment
from God (though they certainly can be). Rather, they are part of the
very means God uses to make us mature/solid. So, Man of God, stand in
there when the trial is difficult. Woman of God, do not waver in your
trust. Consider it joy, because your Lord is shaping you into exactly
who He wants you to be, IF you will be single-mindedly committed to
Him.
