Lucy offers one of her unsolicited observations about life in a “Peanuts” cartoon. “Life,” she muses to Charlie Brown, “is like a deck chair. Some place it so they can see where they are going. Some place it so they can see where they have been. And some place it so they can see where they are at present.” Poor Charlie Brown says, “I can’t even get mine unfolded!”
Scott Peck begins The Road Less Traveled with the statement: “Life is difficult.” He continues:
This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult—once we truly understand and accept it—then life is no longer difficult. Because once it has been accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.
Most do not fully see this truth.... Instead they moan more of less incessantly, noisily or subtly, about the enormity of their problems, their burdens, and their difficulties, as if life were generally easy, as if life should be easy. They voice their belief … that their difficulties represent a unique kind of affliction that should not be, and that somehow has been especially visited upon them. [M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled (New York: Simon & Shuster, 1978), 15].
Trouble and difficulty come to everybody. People at every level of society live life in a minor key. Sickness, suffering, disease and death afflict both rich and poor. Job suffered deeply and cried, “ … man is born to trouble” (Job 5:7). The psalmist said, “… You have made me see troubles, many and bitter (Psalm 71:20).
Any pastor can confirm this pessimistic diagnosis. I once counseled a young family whose child was dying with AIDS. Another family confronted the loss of mother and wife from cancer. Others have artificial knees and elbows, and some even envy them because their physical discomfort is so great. I see these things and must agree that there are “troubles, many and bitter.”
Chapter 1 of James deals with the practical problem of difficulties and troubles. Problems abound that cause us to ask, “Why me? Why this? Why now?” James challenges us with the amazing admonition, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds …” (v. 2). In verses 2-12 he deals with trials faced in daily life, and then in verses 13-16 with temptations to evil. We must distinguish between tests and temptations. God does not always cause our trials, but He allows them to strengthen our faith. Temptations often come from Satan to cause us to sin.
WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TROUBLES - vv 2-4
Two truths must be understood about troubles:
Troubles are Inevitable
James says, “‘Whenever’ you face trials,” not “if.” Troubles are not electives, but a part of the core curriculum of life. There are “trials of many kinds.” James used a word meaning “multicolored” because of the intensity and variety of problems. They may involve the pain of a lingering illness or an untimely death. Some know the heartache of a broken marriage or a short-circuited romance. Trouble may come from a rebellious child or an alcoholic loved one. Some struggle with problems in business or with health. Others combat lingering depression or habits that seem unbreakable. Our trials are many-colored indeed.
Troubles are Purposeful
We don’t know the purpose in much of our pain. In times of trouble we even feel abandoned by God. But James says that trials are the evidence that God is at work. Paul agreed, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17). Trouble is working for us not against us.
The specific purpose is that “the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (v. 3). The Greek word (hypomone) means literally “to remain under.” This is the ability to remain under pressure without collapsing; to cope successfully with the strain of stress.
Such perseverance requires time. Don’t interfere with God’s plan for your life. Hang in there, so that His plan for you will be complete. This is the difficult part. When God’s fingers squeeze they hurt. But they shape and mold us to mature faith.
Our goal as growing Christians is spiritual maturity. We don’t seek troubles, but we rejoice in them because their dividends are greater than the discomforts they bring. God is much more devoted to our character than our comfort. We will eventually leave behind everything we have except our character.
Warren Wiersbe says, “Our values determine our evaluations. If we value comfort more than character, then trials will upset us. If we value the material and physical more than the spiritual, we will not be able to ‘count it all joy.’ If we live only for the present and forget the future, then trials will make us bitter not better.” [Warren Wiersbe, Be Mature (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1978), 22].
WHAT WE NEED TO DO ABOUT OUR TROUBLES—vv. 5-11
Several years ago Bobby McFerrin made a very popular suggestion with his song, “Don’t Worry - Be Happy”:
Here’s a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don’t’ worry, be happy.
In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry you make it double
Don’t worry, be happy.
Don’t worry, be happy now.
Don’t worry, be happy.
Don’t worry, be happy.
Don’t worry, be happy.
Don’t worry, be happy.
Ain’t got no place to lay your head
Somebody came and took your bed
Don’t worry, be happy.
The landlord say your rent is late
He may have to litigate
Don’t worry, be happy.
James doesn’t offer a mindless exhortation to just “grin and bear it”, nor does he call for stoic resignation. He makes four suggestions for dealing successfully with trouble:
1. Live Joyously - v. 2
Our hurts and difficult circumstances are part of God’s plan to help us grow. We should thank Him for what they do in our lives. Life is difficult. Suffering is inevitable. But misery is an option!
Gary Vanderet tells this intriguing story:
Two men were once both seriously ill in the same small room of a hospital. One of the men, as part of his treatment, was allowed to sit up in bed for an hour in the afternoon in order to drain fluid in his lungs. His bed was next to the window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back
One of the disadvantages of their condition was that they weren’t allowed to do much: no reading, no radio or TV - they were allowed no visitors, so it was just the two of them having to keep quiet and still.
They would sometimes talk for hours of their wives, their children, their homes, their jobs, their time in the war, and all sorts of things.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window was propped up for his hour, he would pass the time by describing what he could see outside. And the other man began to live for those hours.
The window apparently overlooked a park, that had a lake with ducks and swans, and children threw them bread and sailed model boats. Young lovers walked hand in hand beneath the trees, and there were flowers and stretches of grass, and games of softball. Right at the back, behind the fringe of trees was a fine view of the city skyline.
The man on his back would listen to all of this, enjoying every minute — how a child nearly fell into the lake, or how beautiful the girls were in their summer dresses, or how a boy played with his puppy. He could almost see what was happening just outside the window.
Then one afternoon, when his partner described a parade, he got to thinking, “Why should the man next to the window have all the pleasure of seeing what goes on? Why shouldn’t he get a chance?
He felt ashamed and tried not to think like that, but the more he tried, the worse he wanted a change. He’d do anything!
After a few days he had turned sour. He should be by the window. And he brooded and couldn’t sleep, and he grew more seriously ill.
One night as he stared at the ceiling, the other man suddenly woke up, coughing and choking, fluid congesting his lungs. His hands groped for the button that would bring the night nurse to his aid. And the man in the next bed watched without moving. The coughing racked the darkness - on and on - choked off - then stopped - the sound of breathing stopped - and the man continued to stare at the ceiling.
In the morning, the day nurse came in with water for their baths and found the other man dead. His body was taken away quietly, with no fuss.
As soon as it seemed decent, the man asked if he could be moved to the bed next to the window. And they moved him, made him quite comfortable, and left him alone to be quiet and still.
The minute they left, he painfully, laboriously propped himself up on one elbow, and looked out the window. It faced a blank wall.
Vanderet concludes, “Some people always seem to face a blank wall, and yet they know a beauty and joy in the midst of their pain that is en-riching. As a result they make life come alive for those around them. They cultivate a joyful attitude.” [Gary Vanderet, “The Skill of Handling Life’s Troubles,” Cultivating a Faith that Endures (Palo, Alto, CA: Discovery Publishing, April 27, 1986), 3].3
2. Live Expectantly - v. 5
James uses wisdom in the Old Testament sense. Wisdom is truth acted upon, knowledge applied practically, the ability to live life successfully in the midst of difficult circumstances. It acknowledges God and is willing to understand His will.
God “gives generously to all” without earthly limitations. In Greek the word translated “generously” (haplos) meant “simply” or “straightforwardly,” indicating that God gives with a single-minded, unhesitating concern for us. He yearns to give you the wisdom to make pure choices. Live expecting His benefits.
3. Live Submissively - vv. 6-8
The double-minded person halts between two opinions. He is “double-souled” with one soul declaring, “I believe,” while the other shouts, “I don’t!” He is “unstable in all he does.” Indecisiveness makes him ineffective in every aspect of his life.
He is unwilling to submit to God. He hasn’t yielded total allegiance to the Father. He has never taken the posture of a trusting child and is like John Bunyan’s “Mr. Facing-both-ways.” James says he “must believe and not doubt because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” Every shifting wind of doctrine influences him. Each storm of opposition threatens his loyalty to God. Without an unwavering confidence in God, adversity creates doubt rather than submission.
To James faith is a commitment to the will of God. You may have heard about the mountain climber who slipped and fell onto a precarious ledge. Since he was climbing alone he was utterly helpless. He began to cry, “Help! Somebody help me!” To his surprise he heard a voice saying, “I will help you. Trust me and let go!” Frantically he looked around and called, “Is anyone else up there?” When God doesn’t operate on our schedule, or his plan doesn’t align with ours, we seek for another plan. God gives only to those who want whatever he gives.
Are you willing to receive whatever he gives you? That may mean staying married and submitting to a difficult relationship. It may mean permanent singleness. It may mean continuing in a difficult job situation or remaining unhealed. Maybe you lack wisdom, because you’re not sure if you want God’s answer. Would you make a commitment to obedience, not even knowing what God wants you to do? Will you say to him, “Lord, I commit myself to do what you want?” If you are willing to make this commitment, you will find all the grace you need to handle the demands of your life, and God’s wisdom will be available to you.
4. Live Humbly - vv. 9-11
Life is so uncertain that tragedy and despair may strike at any time. It is foolish to trust in anything—like wealth—that may be lost in a moment. It is only wise to trust in things that cannot be lost.
“The rich man” himself “will fade away even while he goes about his business” (v11). In the midst of his busy life the end will come and all his wealth will make no difference. God will bring him low in the end unless he humbles himself now. The poor who are Christian have a high position in God’s view despite their low state in the world. The wealthy may seem powerful now, but God will bring them low in the end unless they humble themselves now. This is a complete reversal of status.
James calls for a proper attitude toward material things. He understood the true nature of riches. They are so impermanent, like a lovely blossom so quickly destroyed by the burning sun and desert wind.
Alec Motyer, comments insightfully,
James chose to illustrate his theme by reference to poverty and wealth. He could equally have chosen any of life’s contrasts—loneliness and companionship, long married life and unexpected bereavement. These are the endlessly varied testings, which make the colors in the tapestry of each life: family life and childlessness, marriage and singleness, health and illness. There is no end to the lists to be made and the contrasts to be drawn. Life is like that.... The wisdom God gives ... makes us see earth in the light of heaven, life in the light of eternal life, the flickering pattern of experience in the light of the steady reality of salvation. And wisdom is sought from God in the place of prayer. [The Message of James, The Bible Speaks Today, ed. John R. W. Stott, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 45]. 4
The posture for such prayer requires humility. Wisdom is sought as we cultivate the perspective of eternity. In financial adversity, the poor brother humbly says, “How rich I am!” And with all his wealth, the rich brother must say, “But what a sinner I am!”
III. REWARD FOR THE TROUBLED - v 12
Trials are the ordeals a Christian must face with steadfast courage—such things as illness, unpopularity, financial loss, sorrow, or even persecution. Those who persevere are approved—they stood the test! The word for “Stood the test” (dokimos) appeared on pottery tested in the kiln and approved. The dokimos approval was like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. If a pot cracked while being fired, it would be inscribed with adokimos, “disapproved.”
God’s approval produces real happiness and real living. “Blessed” is the word for genuine happiness. This is more than a superficial joviality. It is an inner quality that endures even in times of trouble. “The crown of life” is not just an unclear reference to an uncertain future. Jesus constantly spoke of the ultimate prize as a new quality of Life, life with a capital L. He said “I came that they might have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance —to the full, till it overflows” (Jn. 10:10 The Amplified Bible).
