Profiting From Trials
James 1:2-4
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
I was sitting in a pew in Brentwood Tennessee when I heard this lesson. I was so moved by it that I started scrambling for paper and pen to scratch some notes. I found none. Then I had this idea and pulled my phone from my pocket, my phone has a notepad on it. I started typing notes with my thumbs because I really needed the lesson and I knew that I wanted to share the lesson.
My grand kids were sitting next to me in shock and they ask me,"what are you doing?" I showed them that I was taking notes on my phone, they looked relieved. I am sure that people around me thought I was texting the world. I realized that, but I thought briefly how technology had changed since I was boy. And I just kept thumbing the blackberry. I also have access to an online bible on my phone. I sometimes use it in a service to search for a verse. Brace yourself, the next generation will be doing this.
We often hear people exclaim "Why me God? Why did this bad thing happen to me?" These cries are voiced as if bad things are God's fault. You know we should not look for reasons to be angry with God. I think that when people blame God, they are looking at God through their trials. But we are going to find out that we should look at our trials through God.
Anyway, I often spin things around 180 degrees to gain another perspective. Here is another approach. Why don't we ask, "Why does God bless us with anything good?" We don't ask this because we think we deserve better.
To illustrate my point on why would God even give us a single blessing; let us look at man's track record. First let us start with the creation of the angels. Satan falls and takes one third of the angels with him. Then in Genesis 3 man falls and is ejected from the garden. By Chapter 6 the whole world has become corrupt to the point where God started over with Noah, the ark and a flood. We are not even out of the first book of the bible. Keep reading on and you see man just keeps falling. And we think that we deserve better.
In Mathew 24 Christ speaks of the last days. Look at verse 35:
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
My point is, this world is already assigned its destruction. For this very reason we should not be surprised when the wheels come off and trials come. Notice that James does not say "if trials come", James writes "when trials come".
Trials seem to make us or break us
These trials seem to make us or break us. It depends upon our character. It depends upon our hearts.
For example, Job's trials made him. We are familiar with the things that Job had to endure. He suffered greatly for the glory of the Lord, and for thousands of years, his life has stood as a testimony to the faithfulness of God and God's capacity to bring His people through any trial. Job's story is one of vast encouragement, at least to me. I believe that Job's great victory hinges on the fact that he never lost sight of God in his trial. Notice his actions in Job 1:20-21. He was a broken and humbled man, yet he was still able to exalt the name of the Lord and give praise to the God of Heaven.
Job's trials broke his wife. She lost her faith and encouraged him to curse his God. Job's wife comes to him and tries to get him to curse God and go to his death with some dignity. I have always been bothered by this woman's attitude. As I thought about all that she had endured, I could just begin to empathize with how she must have felt. After all, she has just lost her ten children, she is no longer the "first lady of the east." Her husband, once the greatest man of the east, now he is sitting on a garbage dump scraping his disease ridden body with a piece of broken pottery. But when you contrast Job and his wife, it is evident when your world falls apart; it is more about who you are than what is happening to you.
Trials will reveal the character of your friends. When the friends of Job arrived, they did not come with any words of encouragement. If anything, they tried their best to push him farther down in his misery. Just a small sample of what they said to him is as follows:
Take Job's friend Eliphaz, this is the man of Testimonial Experience. He has already been there and done that. No matter what you go through, this kind of person has had it worse. Know anyone like that?
In Job 4:3-4, He Flatters Job - Tells him what a blessing he has been, he really butters old Job up. In Job 4:5-11, he flogs Job - He accuses him of Hypocrisy. The criticisms keep coming from Eliphaz, he point his finger at weakness, wickedness and if this were not enough he floors Job - says that he is self-righteous. It doesn't end, in 15:2, Eliphaz goes as far as to call Job and old windbag! There is more, but who needs a friend or friends like that?
I must just say, there is lot of pain out there today. Times are tough. The last thing a man or woman needs to hear is, "Well you will just have to adjust the way you live." A real friend is sorry that that you are going through the pain, whatever it is, they empathize. They put their self in your shoes and consider saying things like, "This thing you are going through must also be affecting people around you". We should take time to think about others who are impacted by this trial; the effects of trials are often collateral. For example, there are good people out there, going through trials, which are faced with the stark reality that they may have to tell someone they don't have a job anymore. That is really a tough thing to do. It is gut wrenching. To tell someone that they are unemployed and it's not their fault.
It is not just about economics, there are people out there with illness or illness in the family, Ask all, "Is there anything I can do to ease your burden?" Or maybe just the words "I wish there was something I could so to ease your pain." Sometime no one can help, but just some kind words are enough to encourage people to push on. That the kind of friend you want to have, that is the kind of friend we all should be. You see when you share in someone's trial; your character can be built too; back to the lesson.
The reason for trials is not always explained to us
The reason for trials is not always explained to us. Trials are often inexplicable. God never explained to Job why the suffering. You and I know in Job's case there was a great spiritual battle going on. Although God has chosen to reveal the details of the battle to us, He did not reveal the circumstances to Job.
How to keep it together
How do you keep it together? The only thing you control is your attitude when the trouble comes. You realize just how few things are in your control. God said in James that you have control over your attitude. James 1:3. Be patient, endure.
There is no temptation or trials that will come to you that you cannot bear. You see you have a pre-promise that the trial is something you can take on. There is hope. Let's read about this pre-promise 1 Corinthians 10:13:
13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
I have read this passage many times, but only recently have I thought about it as a pre-promise, a promise of a way of escape. God has built in a personalized escape valve for each of us.
The positives of trials
Trials pay dividends to some. Our reading from James tells Christians to learn to profit from trials. The question might be floating in your mind right now, "Are you saying that trials have positives?" Well, yes I am saying that, and see if you agree with me.
The first positive is: You are forced to rely on God. In Psalms David encouraged himself in the Lord when he faced his trials.
Another advantage of trials is that you will be delivered from trivialities. All of a sudden the to-do list is reduced. You toss off what is not important. We are forced to redefine our priorities. Suddenly we are given the opportunity to pay attention to what is really important. Solomon captured this in his words vanities it is all vanity. Then he tells us what is really important, that is a relationship with God.
During trials when you throw yourself down in prayer, this is an advantage. You grow closer to your Creator. Sometimes or many times only at the brink of hopelessness do people search and pray to Him with all of their hearts. God's word pointed this out to us a long time ago. There is evidence of it in Jeremiah 29 and also with Jehoshaphat when three nations had come to exterminate Jehoshaphat's kingdom. Through these ancient readings we learn to look at our trials through God.
I am just about finished. See how trials are teachable moments?
"Why Me Lord?" was Written by Kris Kristofferson in 1971. I wonder now what trial Kris faced when his heart scratched out these words on paper.
Why me, Lord?
What have I ever done to deserve even one
Of the pleasures I've known
Lord, what did I ever do to deserve loving You
And the kindness You've shown
Lord help me Jesus I've wasted it...
So help me Jesus, You know what I am
Now that I know that I've needed you...
So help me Jesus my soul's in Your hands
Kris must have been on his knees when he pinned these words.
Another positive, those that meet challenges with character and proper attitudes, they become a shining example to those that have not yet faced such trials. Again Kris Kristofferson's words sum this up.
Try me Lord, if You think there's a way
I can ever repay, all I've taken from You
Maybe Lord, I can show someone else
What I've been through myself
On my way back to You
You know all too often we ask God to change our circumstances, when in reality we should be asking God to develop our character so that we can be resilient in times of trials.
We can see that not all of God's creation profits from trials because James' message is to Christians. As Christians we are to learn to profit from our trials. They bring us closer to God, trials build our character. And I think for a few it, but without this exact purpose or self proclamation, they become shining examples for others to follow when trials come.
Pray with me. God help us to be good friends to our neighbors and brothers and sisters in Christ as they go through various trials. Help us to be empathic. These are often the perfect time to guide and help our neighbors spiritually. Give us the courage and the right words. They are teachable moments. God give each of us the character and strength to endure whatever spiritual battle that is going on that we cannot see. Keep Your face pointed towards us. If it be Your will, shorten the trials that we face. In Jesus name we pray.
Contributors: David Tomley; Alan Carr; Indiucky