James 1:1-12 "When Trouble Comes"
By Pastor Mark Hiehle
Some time ago, I heard Pastor Tony Evans reminisce about growing up and having his favorite shows interrupted by a test. When I heard him say that, I thought of my time during and after college when I worked in radio as both an announcer and in sales. As I would come into the studio, I would sometimes see on the log that I was to run a Test of the Emergency Broadcast System. I was not to announce the test in advance but simply interrupt the regular broadcast and conduct the test. When the test took place, I was to broadcast an annoying test signal that was to last for 30 to 60 seconds. Tests are like that aren’t they? You don’t know they’re coming. You just have to endure them until they are over. There was another kind of test that I did not enjoy as I was growing up and that was when the teacher would announce that we were going to have a "pop" quiz. I liked multiple choice "guess" tests and true or false tests, but I dreaded essay tests because you had to really know the material in order to pass. As James begins his letter to the church, he states that God is like a school teacher who wants to train his children so that when the tests come, they will be able to pass the tests. But the wonderful thing about all of God’s tests is that that they are "open book tests." All of the tests that God allows into our lives are so that our faith can be tested and we can have the opportunity to put scripture into practice and pass the test.
In James 1:2.,God says through James that trials come to us in many different forms. In fact, the word trial can also be translated as trouble. Trouble comes to us from every side but we should not think that this is strange because Jesus told us that we should expect trouble. In John 16:33 Jesus said "In this world you will have trouble.." Also in 1 Cor. 7:28 we are told that, "those who marry will face many troubles in this life." Did I just hear someone say amen?
Notice that James does not say "if" but "when" you face trials of many kinds. Trouble is one of the constants in life. As long as we are alive, we will have trouble. Family trouble, work place trouble, personal trouble, financial trouble... the list is endless. We do not live in a perfect world and life is not fair. So the question is, how do we handle trouble when it comes? The first thing God tells us through James is to "Consider it all joy."
Consider
We are consider it all joy as we go through the trial. Does that mean we are to be happy about the pain of the problem? No. Being happy is a feeling and James says nothing about our feelings when he says we are to consider the trial with joy. I like the saying I once heard that says, "Happiness is based upon the happenings in my life but joy comes from the Lord." The reason I like that saying so much is because when we look at trials, there is usually nothing to be happy about. But, we can be joyful in the midst of the trial because we know God is also in the midst of the trouble with us. In other words, verse 3 tells us that God allowed the trial into our life to test our faith. Our faith is tested so that we will become mature and no longer a spiritual infant. God wants us to grow up and move from being spiritual babies to become spiritual adults. The way God grows us is to teach us through His Word and then test us with a trial so that we can apply what we were taught. If we successfully put into practice what we learned from His Word, then we pass the test and we grow to the next level of spiritual maturity.
At the elementary school where our kids have attended, they each have had to take timed math tests on their math facts. Each week they had to answer correctly 30 questions in 3 minutes. If they were unable, they had to take the test again the next day until they could pass. For those that passed, they would go on to the next level of questions. For some of us here today, we are still taking the same tests because we have never passed. God is patiently waiting for us to apply His Word to our trial so that we can pass the test and move on in our spiritual development with Him. God wants us to pass the test!
Ask
The second step in handling trials correctly is to ask God for wisdom in the midst of the trial. Since God has allowed the trial to come, He obviously wants us to learn something or take us somewhere because of it. Therefore, God tells us to ask Him what we are to learn and how we are to properly respond to the trial. God loves us and as a loving Heavenly Father, he always has our good in mind. Even though the trial might be painful and at times more than we can bear, God is there with us through it all. So ask God for wisdom, but when He tells you what to do from His Word, you also must do it. Verse 6-8 says clearly that we are not to be double-minded with God’s Word. Obedience is not listening to God and then doing it my way. You can’t ask God for wisdom, have Him tell you and then do what you want. It doesn’t work that way. In fact, God says that with that mindset, you will not receive anything from God. To successfully pass the test of trials, you must be obedient to God’s instructions or you will never pass and you’ll keep coming back to the same kind of situation in life until you handle it God’s way.
Persevere
The third and final step is to persevere. Perseverance is simply staying the course even though your feelings say run. I do not enjoy going to the dentist. I feel so uneasy when the hygienist tips me back and starts working in my mouth with those tools that are sharp, twisted and uncomfortable. Then when the dentist comes in and says that he is going to give me a shot and drill a sensitive tooth with a cavity, I feel like saying " No, not today..." But even though I cringe at the pointed instruments on the metal tray, stiffen with the stab of the needle and sigh at the sound of the drill, I stay in the chair. I stay in the chair because I know that if I don’t allow the dentist to do what needs to be done, my toothache will not go away, but in fact get worse. To persevere is just like staying in the chair. Even though you want to leave, you don’t because you know God knows what He is doing, and He is working for your good. James says that if we persevere, blessing will be ours and blessing always follows obedience! Say that with me, "Blessing always follows obedience." God wants you to pass the test of your faith. What test are you going through right now? What area is God allowing your faith to be tested on? Don’t grip and complain, fuss and fight against what God has allowed to come into your life but Consider, Ask and Persevere. If you do, you will pass the test and move to a higher level of spiritual growth, knowledge and intimacy with God.
