Trials: The Keys to Perseverance

Any trial can be a joyous experience for a Christian if his perspective is right. Unfortunately, the anticipation of sorrow and trouble often casts a shadow over our greatest joys. The book of Job reminds us that trouble is inevitable: "Man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward" (5:7).

We all dream of a perfect environment of comfort and tranquility. Although any temporary rest from trials may lead us into believing we might find permanent exemption from them, our lives on this fallen world will never be without them. We can live in a fool's paradise, never forecasting any trouble and predicting a future of ease, but that is fantasy. Christ warned His disciples and all who follow in His footsteps to expect trials in this life (John 15:18--16:6). What ought to sustain us in the midst of them is our faith in God, knowing He is working all things out for our good and His own holy purpose (Rom. 8:28), and that we will have victory over them through God's presence (Psalm 23:4).

The book of James was written to help believers endure their trials. In James 1:2-12 James discusses the reason for trials, the appropriate responses to trials, and the result of trials.

The Reason for Trials

Jewelers use "the water test" as a means for identifying a true diamond. An imitation stone is never as brilliant as a genuine stone, but sometimes the difference cannot be determined with the naked eye. So jewelers immerse the stone in water. A genuine diamond continues to sparkle brilliantly while the sparkle of the imitation is virtually extinguished. By way of analogy, the faith of many people under the water of sorrow or affliction is nothing but an imitation. However, when a true child of God is immersed in a trial, he will shine as brilliantly as ever.

James is saying that if your Christianity is genuine, it will prove itself in times of trouble. If my faith in God is good only when I'm doing well, then it's of little value. True faith will sustain the believer when life goes wrong.

James 1:2 says, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials." The Greek word translated "various" ( poikilos) means "many colored" or "variegated." It emphasizes not the number but the diversity of troubles that can come our way. The Greek word translated "trials" ( peirasmos) refers to that which breaks the pattern of tranquility or happiness. The verb form means "to put someone to the test," regardless of whether the results of the testing are positive or negative.

Every trial that comes into your life becomes a test of your faith. You either pass or fail. To fail the test by wrongly responding to it allows it to become a temptation. If it ends up leading you to sin, it has proven to be successful in tempting you. If it ends up in victory, it has proven to be successful in strengthening you.

Trials are tests that reveal the genuineness and strength of one's faith (James 1:3), and therefore apply to believers as well as unbelievers. If you consistently persevere through trials and never abandon your trust in God, then you prove to have genuine faith.

When a false Christian goes through a test, it will inevitably reveal his true colors. When a true believer goes through a test, he will be driven to prayer, leaning on the strength of God rather than his own weakness. Trials burn up imitation faith but strengthen true faith. They may cause us pain when we are confronted by our weaknesses, but they have the good result of causing us to turn from ourselves to the infinite strength of God.

Responding to Trials

Believers respond properly to trials when they persevere in them. But what are the means to persevering? James describes five requirements for enduring trials in James 1:2-11.

A Joyous Attitude

In verse 2 he says, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials." The Greek word translated "consider" could also be translated "evaluate." Evaluating a trial as being joyful is something a Christian must discipline himself to do, because joy is not the natural human response to troubles. It takes a conscious commitment. Paul made such a commitment while a prisoner in Rome . He told the Philippians, "Rejoice in the Lord always" and "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am" (Phil. 4:4, 11).

The Greek word translated "when," used in the subjunctive mood, means "whenever," implying the inevitability of trials. The compound Greek verb for "fall" ( peripipt[ma]o) literally means "to fall in the midst of." It conveys the idea of being surrounded by an unplanned or inadvertent situation. All of us will fall into the midst of inadvertent troubles where there appears no clear way out.

Jesus never looked for trouble, but He always accepted it when it came. It was "for the joy set before Him [that He] endured the cross, despising the shame" (Heb. 12:2). He endured the humiliation and suffering of crucifixion because He looked beyond the trial to what it would accomplish. We have not suffered to the degree Jesus did (Heb. 12:4). If He could endure the cross and see it as a joyous opportunity to accomplish the purpose of God, then we should be able to endure our small trials with joy.

Since Jesus endured pain to experience joy, we shouldn't expect anything different. In John 15:18, 20 Jesus says, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you." While trials are a necessary part of the Christian experience, they also can provide new opportunities for joyful dependence on the One who allows them. A trial will become a welcome friend when we see it as a means to draw closer to our Savior. Trials bring about a greater sensitivity to the Lord's presence. Our communion with Him increases as we search the Scriptures to find answers to our problems.

Trials should be faced with a joyful attitude because they bring about proven faith, strengthen us, draw us into communion with God as we identify with Christ in His sufferings, and promise us better things to come.

An Understanding Mind

James 1:3 says, "Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." The Greek word translated "knowing" ( gin[ma]osk[ma]o, "to know through experience") directs our attention to the mind. You need to know that your faith will be tested. When you come out of a trial and still have faith, that will confirm you are a true believer.

The Greek word translated "testing" ( dokimion) means "proof." The Greek verb for "produces" means "to achieve" or "to accomplish." Don't ever believe trials don't accomplish something. They're designed to produce "endurance," which is the tenacity of spirit that holds on under pressure while waiting patiently on God's timing to remove the trial.

Each trial strengthens us as we gain more endurance. God builds us up in the same way that a runner gradually develops the ability to run long distance. He starts small and works up to his maximum capacity. God allows increasingly greater trials in our lives to increase our endurance for greater ministry and joy. The more difficult the battle, the sweeter the victory. When you have come out of a difficult trial, you can rejoice over God's delivering you. That proves Him to be trustworthy, and that strengthens your faith.

In 1 Corinthians 10:13 Paul says, "No temptation [trial] has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able." Not everyone has the same ability to endure trials. A new Christian with limited knowledge and experience doesn't have the ability to endure the trials a mature Christian might undergo. This verse is God's promise that He will never put us through a trial we can't handle. The Lord will bring trials to test and strengthen our faith, thus producing the necessary endurance to encounter greater trials. God faithfully works in our lives in a personal way to allow trials, unique to each individual, to take us to higher levels of spiritual maturity.

A Submissive Will

James says this in verse 4: "Let endurance have its perfect result." This is a command demanding submission to God's purposes for the trial. Don't fight the trial and shake your fist at God. Accept it. If you refuse to submit to God, you may bring yourself under His chastening hand. Hebrews 12:5-7 warns, "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives. It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons." If you fight against God's perfecting work, the trials may become more difficult.

The only productive way out of a trial is through it. If God wants you in a trial, there are no shortcuts you can take that will accomplish His purpose. First Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God provides a way of escape from each trial but only after enabling us to endure it.

After stating the command, James tells us what the result should be: "That you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:4). Perfection, not endurance, is the goal of trials. Endurance is only the means to that end. When you go through a trial, you are strengthened and acquire greater endurance, which allows you to experience greater trials and greater endurance. The ultimate purpose is to bring about spiritual maturity. When our faith is tested we're driven to deeper communion and greater trust in our Lord. That produces the stability of godly character and righteous living.

The Greek word translated "perfect" conveys the idea of balance. It's referring to a stable, balanced righteous life- style. That's what Paul is alluding to in Galatians 4:19, where he says, "My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you." God's ultimate goal is for every believer to become like Christ.

James also says that trials will make us "complete" (Gk., holokleros; holos means "whole" and kleros means "all the portions"). God wants you to be well-rounded--fully put together spiritually. The flip-side of being complete is "lacking in nothing."

A Believing Heart

If you are experiencing a trial and desire to keep a joyous attitude, an understanding mind, and a submissive will, but are still struggling, you probably lack the wisdom and the power to endure. You need wisdom--the practical insight needed to face the circumstances of life. You'll not be able to maintain the first three elements of a living faith unless God gives you more than just your human faculties to work with.

James says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God" (James 1:5). Divine wisdom is especially important when you're going through a trial and desire to endure it for the holy purposes of God. Human reasoning will provide few answers. When a believer is being tested, he will recognize his need for strength and will look for a greater resource to hold on to in the midst of the trial--God Himself.

The kind of wisdom we are referring to is not philosophical speculation; it is the absolutes of God's will--the divine wisdom that is pure and peaceable (James 3:17). Divine wisdom results in right conduct in all of life's matters.

The initial response of many Christians to their troubles is to seek out some other human resource. Although God may work through other believers, the Christian's initial response to trials should be to ask God directly for wisdom. That will allow him to be joyous and submissive in finding and carrying God's will.

Verse 5 is a command to pray--it is not optional. It is as mandatory as Paul's instruction to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17). Trials have a way of enhancing your prayer life. They drive you to your knees to call on God for what you do not have and so desperately desire. God intends for you to recognize the limitations of human reason. Proverbs 3:5-7 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes." When you're going through a trial, you must put your faith in God's wisdom and not in your own limited understanding.

The search for wisdom is man's supreme search. In Job 28:12 Job asks, "Where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?" The answer comes in verse 23: "God understands its way; and He knows its place." The supernatural wisdom needed to understand the trials of life is not available in the world around us. If you need wisdom, you must acquire it from God. Seeking God for answers is more valuable than running to your friends or professional counselors for them. The promise of wisdom for those who seek it is one of the greatest promises in all Scripture. What more would we want than divine insight to understand and respond properly to every trial of life?

In James 1:5 James explains God's response to our prayers for wisdom: "[He] gives to all men generously and without reproach." We have a gracious God who desires to give us what we desire and need. The Greek word translated "generously" speaks of something that is given unconditionally, without bargaining. It is reminiscent of Matthew 7:7-11: "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" When you go through a difficult trial, go to God in prayer. He will generously give you the wisdom you need to understand that trial and properly respond to it.

God will provide the wisdom to understand any trial if we will ask Him. If we don't ask, the Lord may allow the trial to continue until we demonstrate that we have learned to be dependent on Him through the trial. The phrase "without reproach" in James 1:5 means God will not scold us for requesting wisdom. On the contrary, He will hold nothing back, giving generously without reservation. James 1:17 affirms that: "Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow."

Once the believer asks God for wisdom the promise is: "It will be given to him" (James 1:5). No wisdom needed for the believer's perseverance through a trial is ever withheld from him who asks. But sometimes we don't ask God; we do everything except that. We ought to be on our knees crying out from our hearts for God to direct us.

Notice that verse 6 gives a condition for the request for wisdom: "But let him ask in faith without any doubting." The believer should ask with confident trust in God. The Greek word translated "doubting" conveys the idea of someone whose thoughts are divided. If he lacks wisdom, it's not God's fault. If you don't understand your trial, you probably haven't asked God with unwavering faith to give you wisdom. Perhaps you have prayed somewhat insincerely with wrong motives, like those who James condemned for praying for things to satisfy their lusts (4:3). You might be doubting whether God is able or willing to help.

Undivided faith simply believes that God is a sovereign, loving God who will supply everything necessary for understanding and enduring a trial. Whatever the trial may be, you are to believe that God allowed it for His purpose and your spiritual maturity.

In James 1:6 James gives an analogy of the doubting person: "The one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind." The doubting person who goes to God but doesn't believe He can provide him the necessary wisdom is like the billowing, restless sea, which surges back and forth with its endless tides, and is never able to settle. In 1 Kings 18:21 Elijah condemned the Israelites for their wavering faith, saying, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him."

Then James tells us what the double-minded man should expect: "Let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord" (v. 7). When faced with a trial, an unbeliever who professes to know Christ will doubt God and get angry with Him, eventually severing his association with a church. A true Christian who is spiritually immature may respond in a similar manner. He reacts emotionally to his difficult circumstances and doesn't fully trust God. In the midst of trials he doesn't experience a joyous attitude, an understanding mind, a submissive will, or a believing heart. He is unable to ask for wisdom from God and unwilling to take advantage of the resources God has provided. As long as He continues to doubt God, he will never know the resolution available to him through faithful, persistent prayer to God.

In verse 8 James gives his analysis of the doubter: "A double-minded man [is] unstable in all his ways." Being "double- minded" (Gk., dipsuchos) is the state of having one's soul or mind divided between God and the world. James 4:4 affirms that "friendship with the world is hostility toward God." Then in verse 8 James commands, "Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."