Devotionals

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The Test

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4 NKJV

Trials are not fun, let alone joyful. We’ve all experienced trials of one type or another—a prolonged illness, marital problems, financial hardship, difficulties with a boss or co-workers, a child facing behavioral or educational challenges, the list is nearly endless. Sometimes, trials come one at a time; at other times, a person may face several trials at once. Trials are not fun, but they happen to everyone, believers and non-believers, alike.

Why they happen is a matter of debate. Some believe that God puts trials on us to test us or even to punish us. Others believe that trials are just part of life—sometimes we experience trials as a result of our own or other people’s poor planning or decision making, but sometimes they just happen because we live in a fallen world where “bad things happen to good people.”

Regardless of the “why’s,” our response to any trial needs to focus on the “what’s” and the “how’s.” What should be the Christian’s attitude during a trial? How should a Christian react to a trial? What result should a Christian expect from a trial? How can a Christian grow because of a trial? According to James 1:2-4, we should “count it all joy” when trials come upon us. But, how to be joyful during a trial—that is the question! According to this scripture, it is not the trial that will produce the joy, but it is the knowledge that “the testing of your faith” will result in patience, and when that patience is fully developed you will have peace (“perfect and complete, lacking nothing,” which is the definition of SHALOM, the Hebrew word for peace).

But this peace, this wholeness, completeness, and end of lack, will not come without faith that God, Jehovah Shalom (see Judges 6:24), will bring you through. You might get through the trial without God, but you won’t have shalom, and you won’t know just what God can do through your faith. All of this indicates that God allows us to go through certain tests and trials to test our willingness to put Him to the test. If you never go through a test or a trial, you miss a chance to use faith in God’s ability to get you through it, you won’t develop patience to watch how God works, you will end up with less peace, and you will not be prepared for the next test, the next chance to see God do something awesome and wonderful in your life.

So, count it all joy – the next test of your faith is God’s next chance to prove His power. He’s never failed a test, and He won’t fail you.

This Week’s Seed of Faith
The next time I find myself going through a test of my faith, I will not panic or shrink back in fear. Instead, I will use my faith to trust God and patiently watch Him work on my behalf. Then I will have perfect shalom – I will be whole, complete and lacking nothing.

**Adapted from the author's website at http://www.seedwords.com/pages.asp?pageid=81651

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