Having Joy in Trials

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” – James 1:2–4

When I am facing some sort of trial, I rarely – if ever – think about how joyful I am to be going through the trial. But the command to count trials as joy is just that – a command. Even though it is difficult to do, God is kind enough to tell us why we should count trials as joy: the testing of our faith produces steadfastness (James 1:3).

Let’s first consider the word testing, and how it differs from the word temptation. Tests that good teachers give are ones that students can pass if they are prepared, and the students gain confidence in the subject going through the test. In short, a test is something that the giver wants to see the taker pass because there is a good purpose behind the test.

A temptation, on the other hand, is something that the giver wants to see the receiver fail because there is an evil purpose behind it. Satan puts temptations in our path hoping we take the bait and sin. A jealous person creates situations designed to make a rival fail to make himself look better.

So, the first things to remember when being tested are that God has given us the ability to pass the test, and ultimately, the test is for our good.

Second, we should remember that facing the test will produce steadfastness. Steadfastness is not a word not used too often, but it means unyieldingly firm in faith. Becoming unyieldingly firm in faith is something that does not happen immediately. James is saying the more trials we face, the better we will get through them faithfully.

We understand this concept for other things in life. If you have a dream to become a baker, you cannot bake a multi-tier cake for a royal wedding for a first project. Instead, you must first learn the basics of baking and then test yourself with more advanced techniques as you master the simpler ones. This applies to any skill we want to learn.

Trials come in all shapes and sizes and in them we may feel like the only way to make it through the trial is by doing something that compromises our faith. But when we face these trials faithfully with the power of the Holy Spirit, we feel joy that we were able to glorify God in that situation. And while we may not necessarily look forward to the next trial, we will begin to face them joyfully, knowing that ultimately, we can glorify God through the next one that comes.

As our faith strengthens, James says that we will become steadfast in our faith and become “perfect and complete.” This is in contrast with the person who has no faith who will not “receive anything from the Lord” because he is “unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). Our faith will never be perfect while we are alive; sin will always taint our relationship with God in some way. But as the Holy Spirit strengthens us in our faith, we can obey God’s command to joyfully face the trials that come our way.