Jas 1:2-3
(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.
Is he nutz of what? ;-}}
Not really. The counting it all joy is easily answered in 1 Peter:
1Pe 1:3-9
(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
(4) to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
(5) who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
(6) In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
7) so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
(8) Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
(9) obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Verse 6 is critical. We have to be grieved by "various" trials. but the problem is; "What do you consider a trial?"
For most of us a trial is usually something big. Cancer, financial crisis, addiction, mental health issues - you know the "biggies." But we cheat ourselves when we limit our perception of trials to just those things that hit us hard. Our lives are full of trials - the fact that we miss most of them is a sad reflection of our condition.
If you are a believer every day holds many many trials which we miss and in missing them we fail to experience the sense of victory or defeat we need to experience. Going to work, dealing with traffic, working among unbelievers are all trials of not only our faith but of our faithfulness as well. If you have never noticed that, WAKE UP!
Money is a trial. Getting it, keeping it and using it especially today is a trial.
Kids - raising them well is a trial.
Cars - keeping them up is a trial.
All the demands of our culture that we equate with being OK are trials.
Jesus, as I've said over and over and over made it very very clear that our LIVES here, as His sheep, would be LIVES of trial, temptation and tribulation.
Why do we refuse to see ALL the trials we face and face them as such? Maybe we just don't want to bother. Maybe we're just ignorant. Maybe we're just, well, numb.
Regardless of why, we need to fight against the numbness, ignorance and bother and realize the fantastic place we have in God's plan, the magnificent thing He has done for us and the great and sure promise He has made us. Doing this we can count our trials, all of them, as simply part of our work here as His sheep.
I do not think the "little while," in verse 6 means we suffer intermittent trials. I believe that he is telling us to look to the promise of our full and complete sanctification. I think he wants us to look at our trials, all of them, through the lense of the promise of eternity with Him. We need to have a heavenly view, if you will, of all - all - of our trials. We need to recognize them all and appreciate them all.
Appreciate? Yes! That's the "if neccessary," in verse 6. Trials here are necessary I would go so far as to say essential to our spiritual health and our hope. Not only do they produce endurance but they remind us of what we endure for. Even more importantly they keep us in mind of how we can endure them. We can only endure them by His grace and provision. Trials - small and large - all of them - should make us keep our eyes on Jesus, keep our eyes in His word and keep our knees bent in prayer.
Paul writes:
1Co 10:13
(13) No temptation (this is the same word translated trial in James) has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Trials drive us, or should, to the faithfulness of God - on our knees. He will not to be tried by that which His faithful provision cannot enable us to face and endure. And even better, He will provide an escape, a way out of it. He is faithful.
But Paul nails it when he follows this verse with:
1Co 10:14
(14) Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
What worries you and diminishes your trust in Him? What hinders you in your duties to Him? In short, it is idolatry plain and simple. But more on that another time.
God bless you in all your trials which are blessings if you will but submit to His sovereignty and trust in His grace.
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