New: 3 June 2025; Update: 10 June 2025
James and the
Trials of Life
James 1:2-8, 12
Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:2-4 NASB
Trials & Joy
The trials of life are not always easy to handle. Sometimes they are hard to handle. But they are a reality we must learn to handle, and handle right. Many people shy away from difficulties and hardship. Pain and suffering can be intimidating and overwhelming. Everything can be too much and we wish we could just disappear—but we can't. Even king David, when faced with trials and troubles, wished he was a bird that could just fly away to a peaceful place of rest (Psalm 55:6), yet instead he learned that casting his burdens on God is the way to handle life and its challenges (v 22; see E40). Giving up is not an option; we need to learn to endure, be strong (or become strong) and find the wisdom to do the right thing no matter what we are facing. True, some toxic situations or relationships that cause destructive hardships must be given up. When to stay and when to walk away is a difficult question and a hard decision to make. We need wisdom and discernment to find the best way forward. Finding the strategy (what to do) and the resources (how to do it) is not always easy. But there is a way. Importantly, we need to keep a positive attitude in life in order to handle the trials of life the right way. Else, we might become resentful, and that destructive attitude won't lead to peace and prosperity.
Instead of giving up on life and hiding or becoming bitter and angry, James gives us an alternative way to handle the trials of life. The biblical way is an empowering way. It is going through trials with joy! The reality is, trials are not joyful and often cause the opposite emotions of joy. Heavy emotions cause a negative mentality and this weighs us down and drains our energy. When the emotions are too much and the mind is blurred, clear thinking and proper decision-making becomes difficult, if not impossible. When we don't have the power to be strong and do the right thing, life becomes unbearable. We need a positive mentality to assess a situation clearly, make the right decisions and act accordingly. James advocates for a positive outlook on the trials of life, not because they are pleasant, but because what we can potentially gain from them is worth the effort and even the sacrifice. We need to approach the trails of life with the outcome in mind, especially the growth in character, maturity and wisdom. We must remain positive even in suffering and keep pursuing the results we want. We must remain patient during trials, rejoice in hope despite the hardships and be devoted to God in prayer at all times (cf., Romans 12:12).
Pursuing the Result
The reason why James wants us to approach the trials of life with joy (James 1:2) is because the testing of our faith produces endurance (v 3). Testing can be tough, but it is necessary to gain genuine faith as we cut off all fake stuff. And endurance, the patient and continually growth under pressure, will bring forth a 'perfect result,' so that we may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (v 4). God matures us into completeness through enduring the trials of life. Knowing that we can learn many precious lessons for life during trials, rather than detached theory, is positive. There is much we can learn when we are taught, but there are some things, often the most important lessons in life, we can only learn in life and its trials. As we go through life, we can apply what we learned and abstract knowledge becomes real-life truth. The challenging times either make us or break us, depending on how we handle them. The positive mentality James is advocating for, empowers us to remain patient in trials. It is an attitude that seeks to learn what ultimately benefits us and our future. We go beyond instant rewards and embrace delayed gratification. With maturity comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes the ability to master life and help other people do so. Once others know what you went through and how you handled it, they will be open to learn from you. People are watching you and how you handle life. And even if you made a mistake, you can be an example of how you handled that mistake. The many lessons you learned, even the painful ones, are now also beneficial to others, not only to you. This is positive!
James notes the endurance and patience of Job (James 5:11), with a special focus on the outcome of the Lord's dealings! The prophets, too, suffered and endured (v 10). There is blessing in endurance: the crown of life (1:12). Job lost almost everything in life, yet he refused to lose God. He would bless God's name despite his loss and pain. He would not curse God, but remain faithful to the Almighty (Job 1:20-22). He would hope in God no matter how hard life hit him (13:15). He knew his Redeemer lives and would work out all things for his good (19:25). At the end, not only did God restore and bless him (42:10-17), Job also learned to know God in real-life, not just according to what he had heard from others (v 5). That type of testing of the faith brought forth a purified man and a good result. When our faith is tested and tried, it becomes real. We can put our faith into action, like Abraham or Rahab (James 2:14-26), and many others, show our faith by our works, unlike those who say they have faith, but have no works to show for. Faith without works is dead (v 26). The testing of our faith makes our faith strong and real.
If any of you lacks wisdom
[to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of
[our benevolent] God,
who gives to everyone generously
and without rebuke or blame,
and it will be given to him.
James 1:5 AMP
The Wisdom of God
A key ingredient to handle trials in the best way is the wisdom of God. When life hits us hard, we are often perplexed and don't know what to do or who to turn to. When people are desperate but don't know where to get help, they can fall into despair and hopelessness. But there is a way, as we saw in Paul, that being perplexed temporarily, doesn't have to lead to despair (D13). We have explained that Peter showed, how suffering is best handled (D14). James encourages us to ask wisdom from God, the Omniscient One. God gives generously and without partiality; and anyone who asks God will get answers (James 1:5). This, too, is empowering. Jesus taught His disciples to ask and it will be given to them; to seek and they will find; to knock and it will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8). He did so in view of God's good and generous nature (vv 9-11). The Father of light gives all good gifts to His children (James 1:17).
Not only do we keep a positive mentality, with the result in mind, we can also access the incomparable wisdom of God to guide us through our trials and in our growth to completion. When we are perplexed by life's trials, we can avoid falling into despair by turning to God and His infinite wisdom. He will guide us through the storms of life and the tribulations we face. After all, He promised that when we go through the water, He will be with us; when we pass through rivers, they will not overflow or drown us; and even when we walk through the fire, it will not scorch us (Isaiah 43:2). The liberated Israelite slaves passed through the Red Sea on dry land when God parted the sea for them into the Promised Land (Exodus 14). They did not drown, nor did the Jordan river overflow them when they crossed it into the Promised Land (Joshua 3). When Daniel's friends were thrown into the fiery furnace, a fourth Man was there to rescue them and they came out unharmed by the flames (Daniel 3). Since God helped them, He can help you. Scripture has many encouraging stories from which we gain wisdom, encouragement and comfort (Romans 15:4; see D5).
The way to ask God for wisdom during trials (James 1:5) is to ask Him with faith (v 6). We must be serious in our inquiry before God. A doubting person is a double-minded person and can't expect anything from God (vv 6-8). We cannot take God lightly or just use Him during trouble times. The pure motive in asking for God's wisdom is to guide us through the trials in order to grow in maturity, not just to avoid suffering. True wisdom from God comes to people of good behaviour and pure motives, not to those who seek advice with jealousy or selfish ambitions for their own benefit (James 3:13-16). God's wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and with good fruits, as well as unwavering and without hypocrisy (v 17). The result God's wisdom brings forth is righteousness and peace (v 18). Figuratively speaking, sowing the right seeds will brig forth the right fruit. Taking the right actions will bring the right results. Wrong methods won't result in good outcomes. If our strategy is wrong, we won't reach our targets.
James advocates for humility as the way to resist evil and see God bless and exalt us (James 4:6-10). When people become resentful and negative, life becomes unbearable and hopeless. Humility keeps our hearts tender and open before God. He can instruct us and guide us. After all, God is jealous over us—the good kind of zeal for our well-being. He doesn't want us to compromise with the world and the devil, and then suffer great loss beyond recovery (vv 4-5). We ask God for wisdom in humility and teachability as well as in real faith and with the right motives—and He will come through for us! Some people don't receive because they don't ask; others ask with wrong motives (James 4:3). Neither is right. The right way is to ask God with right motives! We ask for God's wisdom in order to handle the trials of life and gain insight on how to grow in endurance towards maturity.
The 'testing of faith' exposes what is false and indicates what we need to change. It purifies us to make us mature and complete. It is a good process, although painful at times. When pain causes growth, it is a good pain. We keep hope and endure to gain the crown of life (James 1:12). Job found his wisdom in the fear of the Lord (Job 28:28) and it empowered him to endure (James 5:11). He was tested in his faith and purified in his being. God's wisdom preserved him. Humility keeps us in a place of trusting God and learning His ways in life. The way we treat the weak and poor is a vital part of this process. As James outlines the benefits of going through trials of life in the right way (James 1:2-8), and how blessed it is once we endured and persevered under trials (v 12), he notes the importance of humility towards the pope around us (vv 9-11). Riches can make people arrogant and look down on others. This is a fast way to fail the testing of our faith. We need to remain humble and see others as creations of God, independent of our social or economic standing. Wealth fades, but how we treat other people won't. A part of the testing of our faith is how we treat those who can do nothing for us in return. Giving without being noticed for it or doing it for rewards, shows the purity of motive. This is the way Jesus advocated for (Luke 6:27-36). Generosity on earth stores up treasures in heaven with the benefit of God's provisions and peace (Matthew 6:19-34). Nothing holding onto in this life is worth comparing with the reward in heaven for us and the blessing generosity is for those in need.
Now no chastening [discipline] seems to be joyful for the present, but painful;
nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness
to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:11 NASB
Training with the Result in Mind
Training can be tough. So why do we do it? Because we want the result. The concept of delayed gratification is a powerful one: we do things in the present, even with sacrifice, for a better future. We do what we need to do in order to get what we want to get. We train with the result in mind. It is the same with trials—they are tough, but we endure because we want the result. Enduring trials has a positive outcome: maturity and wisdom. We must train with the result in mind. We must remember our 'why' in life, and, as Nietzsche rightly observed, when you know your 'why' in life, you will be able to endure any 'how,' whatever might come your way. Viktor Frankl found meaning to life (his 'why' in life) even in the midst of death in Nazi concentration camps. He knew his 'why' and survived the most horrific of circumstances. When we go through trials, we must know why and keep the result in mind. Our determination to reach our goals will always be tested during trials. Giving up because the pain is too much is the ever-present temptation. The question is, do we give up or press on?
The author of the letter to the Hebrews elaborated on this with helpful insights. In view of the witnesses of chapter 11, we are to 'run with endurance the race that is set before us' by fixing our eyes (focus) on Jesus, the author and perfecter/finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). He, too, was empowered by joy to endure His suffering, and so should we, so that we won't grow weary and lose heart (v 3), that is, become weak and give up. The Christian life is a race of endurance. We are not competing with others; we must be faithful to the purpose of God for ourselves. Yet there are many hindrances and challenges that we need to overcome (v 4). One of the ways God empowers us to endure and complete our race by faith is by discipline (v 5). Although discipline is hard to endure at times, God is motivated by love (v 6) and discipline empowers us to endure (v 7a). Discipline is for the maturing of the sons of God (v 7b). Earthly fathers discipline their children for their good, to teach them good morals and proper principles; and more so our Heavenly Father: 'for our good' (vv 8-10). The purpose of God's loving discipline is for us to partake in His holiness (v 10b). This is part of the blessing of sanctification (see D12).
Sanctification, the dedication to pursue holiness and purity over sin and pleasure, is what makes us strong during times of temptation. James makes clear that lust brings us into temptation (James 1:13-14). It is not God; He doesn't tempt us. He wants us to overcome trials and temptations to receive the crown of life (v 12). But when we give in to temptation, it will result in death (v 15). We should not be deceived about this (v 16), as all the good gifts come from God (v 17). God is the Father of light; He is light and there is no darkness in Him (1 John 1:5). The way to overcome temptation is to be quick to hear, slow to speak and to control our impulses (James 1:19-20). We must live according to the word of truth (v 18) and put aside all sin so that we can live according to the implanted word in humility before God (v 21). This is the way to be doers of the word, not hearers only (vv 22-23). God's Word is the law of liberty (v 25), the truth that sets us free! Part of the outworking of true faith is how we treat the weak and vulnerable of society, as well as our dedication to sanctification (vv 26-27).
The Reward is worth the Sacrifice
Discipline, like training, is worth the sacrifice. It is not pleasant, often hard, but worth it when we keep the reward in mind. No discipline is pleasant in the process, but often sorrowful; yet, 'afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness' (Hebrews 12:11). The author speaks of believers who were 'trained' by discipline. This process is a training: it equips us for life the way God intended. It also strengthens us, heals us and sets us on right path in life (vv 12-13), 'the straight and narrow' (Matthew 7:13-14). Life has many temptations, which we must resist. It entails sacrifice, but it's worth it. In the context of living on the right way of God as advocated by Jesus in Matthew 7, it empower us to do the right thing in all of life's circumstances (v 12) and protects us from false prophets and heretical teachers (vv 15-23). It encourages us to build our life on a stable foundation with God's wisdom in order to withstand the trials of life (vv 24-27). The effort and sacrifice we make are worth the reward and result they achieve. Discipline is the way!
Further more, holiness and sanctification, as we noted elsewhere (D12), is not only God's will (1 Thessalonians 4;3, 7), but without it we shall not even see God (Hebrews 12:14). Rejecting God's discipline that leads to maturity is the wrong way in life. Only biblical principles and godly values will keep us from compromising with temptation and diverting on the wrong paths of life. God's way is narrow as it is clearly defined, yet the devil's highway offers a broad and loose path to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). The chopice is ours and we must live with the consequences, even in eternity. It is crucial that we make wise decisions on how we will 'built our house': on rock or sand? The foundation will determine the outcome after the storms. Storms are unavoidable; building rightly is a choice. The reward for building with God's wisdom is worth the sacrifice. Rejecting the loving discipline of the Lord is coming short of God's grace, can cause a root of bitterness that defiles us and others around us, and even has a danger of making us immoral of godless people (Hebrews 12:15-16). The consequences of such a choice can have devastating, even irreversible, effects (v 17). This is a serious issue that we cannot take lightly. Esau despised and then sold his birthright, the most precious blessing at the time. He rejected the place of taking responsibility for his life and the descendants of Abraham and Isaac, and destroyed his destiny. Our choices matter; they have consequences. Whatever we do in life, we must do it with the future in mind.