(Part of Epistle of James Bible Meditation Series)

What is faith?

Hebrews 11:1 defines it as confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Confidence in what we hope for:

Our hope is that one day we will see our Savior face to face.

Assurance about what we do not see:

We cannot see God, but we believe and know with certainty that He exists. We know that He takes care of all our needs.

Some situations in life might make us question this. It is our faith being tested. We might wonder: does God really exist? Does He really care about me and my needs?

Our faith is often tested by trials or temptations. James explains both in detail.

1. Trials

James 1:2–12

James 1:2 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,”

He uses the phrase pure joy. When the word pure is used, it means 100%. So when you are in the midst of trials (sufferings, persecutions), you must feel nothing but joy.

How is this possible? When we are being persecuted, we can feel pain, and we can even wonder why God is not helping. But James knows something deeper. He knows the purpose of trials in a Christian’s life.

What happens when we are in trials?

When our faith is tested during trials, it teaches perseverance (endurance, patience). It eventually makes us mature and complete in faith, not lacking anything. And that is the goal every Christian is working towards.

(2 Corinthians 12:8–10) When Paul had a thorn in his flesh, he asked God to remove it. But God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Through that situation, Paul learned to boast in his weakness. Because the more he saw his weakness, the more he saw the power of God through whom he could do great things.

Just as James mentions considering trials as pure joy, Paul mentions that he will gladly boast in his weakness.

How can we ever consider trials as pure joy?

James 1:5–8

With human wisdom or understanding, this is impossible. That is why James says to ask God for wisdom to guide us through circumstances. And we can be sure that God will grant us wisdom.

But when we ask God, faith is important. We cannot pray for our situation with a backup plan, or pray and see if it works. We cannot say, “If it doesn’t work, I will leave the faith and God.”

In the midst of trials, we must still be confident that God knows and that He is with us.

An example of heavenly wisdom and earthly wisdom

According to earthly wisdom, a poor person will always be burdened because of poverty. Also, there is nothing the rich cannot achieve because wealth can take him to many places.

But with wisdom from above, the poor can rejoice in his poverty, and a rich person can keep himself from being arrogant.

The poor person knows it is not the wealth here that matters, but the fact that he is chosen by God and has a greater inheritance in heaven. The rich person should always bear in mind that the riches of this world will fade away in a moment—through sickness or a bad financial decision.

The hope we carry in the midst of trial

James 1:12 – “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

Revelation 2:10 – “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

We have been promised the crown of life for those who stand faithful even to the point of death—for those who love God, which is the greatest commandment given to us (Matthew 22:37–38).

Conclusion

When you love someone very deeply, you can endure anything for them. If you do not experience or know God, you may not have a reason or the strength to suffer for Him. If your idea of God is only to receive good things, it becomes difficult to keep going when troubles come.

Just like a mother can endure any danger for her child, we need to fall in love with God.