BIBLE PASSAGE:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of
many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces
perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature
and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should
ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be
given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because
the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a
person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
(James 1:2-8)
MEDITATION:
How should followers of Jesus handle trials, troubles, tribulations and
overall problems? The scriptures tell us that we need to develop a good
and correct perspective. If we focus on the problems, we will probably
fail to see anything positive about our situation; instead, we will only be
burdened by how the problems are negatively impacting our lives.
According to James, we need to consider how we will benefit from our
‘trials’. We need to also remember that when we are followers of Jesus,
God is grooming us for Heaven. Anytime, we are being transformed by
the Lord (sanctified), we can experience many adjustments in our lives
(some are enjoyable, but some can include pain in the same way an athlete
has physical pain, when preparing for an event – No pain, no gain).
But how can we possibly benefit from something unpleasant? James tells
us that we will learn how to endure problems with patience. He then links
patience (which is an important characteristic for Christians) to spiritual
maturity. Spiritual maturity is an indication that we are in the process of
becoming the person God wants us to be.
James says that spiritual maturity makes us ‘complete’. Does that mean
we have ‘arrived’ and have nothing else spiritually we need to add to our
lives? No, it means that we are on the right track of becoming who God
wants us to be.
It is an indication that we have invited the Holy Spirit to be active in our
lives, we have chosen to turn our back on sin, and focus on obeying God
in all things. Our willingness to obey Him has become first and foremost
in our lives. All of this positivity has created in us a new desire to know
Him better and to serve Him in the way He has chosen specifically for us.
Just imagine for a moment, the God of the universe, the Creator
of everything has created each of us for a specific purpose. We can
discover new blessings in our lives when we discover His purpose
for us, and the spiritual gift He has given us to use in fulfilling His
purpose. We need to remember, God will not call us to serve Him
without equipping us for what He wants us to do.
When we meditate on the scriptures in this devotional we can see
an interesting shift in topic. In the midst of focusing on ‘trials’ in
our lives, James switches to the topic of wisdom. He tells us that if
we want to have wisdom, then we should ask God for it and He will
give it to us. The question we may have is,
What in the world does ‘wisdom’
have to do with ‘trials’ in our lives?
We would have to believe it is because God wants us to know that
when we receive wisdom from Him, we will have new and better
understanding of why we are experiencing difficulties in our life,
wouldn’t you agree?
With the wisdom from God, we will be able to look at the positive
impact of our trials, instead of focusing solely on the problems and
the negative impacts they have on us. Godly wisdom also gives us
an understanding of how to cope with our troubles.
James tells us that we have the responsibility of ‘asking’, but we need
to ‘believe’. If we don’t believe, then we are lacking spiritual maturity,
and consequently, our thoughts will fluctuate between the things of
God and worldly things.
How does this ‘double thinking’ affect us? It makes us “unstable” because
we can be swayed by anything that crosses our path. If it’s something godly,
we are influenced in a good way, but if it is something ungodly then clearly
we are “blown and tossed” in the wrong directions. In addition, if we continue
holding on to worldly things, then we “should not expect to receive anything
from the Lord”.
As an example, if we hold on to our tithe, then we are showing a lack
of faith (belief) that God will provide for our needs, and, in addition,
we are not being obedient to His commands. Obedience is one of the
best indicators of our love and trust in the Lord. Jesus said,
“If you love me, keep my commands.”
(John 14:15)
ACTION:
Are you struggling with some trial in your life right now? If you are,
then ask God to give you wisdom for coping with it. If you are not in
the midst of a trial right now, then ask God for wisdom, so you will be
prepared for any future trials.
Never forget that, as a follower of Jesus, we need wisdom so we can
fulfill our responsibility to pray for others who are having trials in
their lives. Jesus never looked at the trials of others with an attitude
of,
“I’m glad I’m not having the problems they are having, and
I am thankful for the Lord preventing me from those trials.”
Jesus chose to do something when He saw others hurting, and as
Christians, we are to do the same thing. Praying (sincerely) is the
action we can, and are expected, to take. It is a privilege that can
confirm we belong to the Lord, if we pray with sincerity and are
not praying just so we can tell the person we are praying for them.
When reading this verse, failing to pray for others appears to be a
“sin against the Lord”.
As for me, far be it from me that I should sin
against the Lord by failing to pray for you…
(1 Samuel 12:23a)
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me Your assurance
that You will provide what I need to cope with the trials in my
life. Without Your help I am hopeless, and unable to endure
them in my own strength. Help me understand how You can
make something good out of the trials that come my way, and
teach me how to look past the negatives of my trials and focus
on the positive impact they can have on me and my relationship
with You.”
ON A PERSONAL NOTE:
My wife and I faced a trial in the 90’s when she was diagnosed
with breast cancer. With God’s help, she went into remission.
Later (in 2015), her cancer returned with a vengeance and we
had another trial to face. They wanted to put her on a medicine
that was going to cost us $100,000 a year ‘out of pocket’.
We saw firsthand the powerful impact of prayer. Our family
and some very close friends were praying, In addition, the
Sunday School class God called me to teach also joined us in
prayer. In a very short time, the cost dropped to $20,000 per
year. But it didn’t stop there! As we, our family, our closest
friends and the Sunday School class continued to pray, the
cost was reduced to ZERO!
However, when she started the new medicine, it was on the brink
of causing liver failure so they had to discontinue it. Again, our
family, close friends and the members of this class prayed, and
my wife was put into a clinical trial with access to many different
options. But what would be our cost for this treatment? Nothing!
Now, we are in a new trial as my wife was diagnosed in late 2024
with Alzheimer’s. This is an ugly disease and it’s difficult for us
to understand how or why someone is known for being a ‘prayer
warrior’, is suffering from something this devastating.
If you are married, you know that it’s a joint journey, because
no loving person will allow their spouse to feel they are alone in
their struggles. One suffers and the other supports, encourages,
and prays for them. That’s God’s design for a marriage, isn’t it?
Again, our family, close friends, and Sunday School class has united
in prayer for both of us on this latest trial. We are very blessed by
how all have chosen to obey the Lord’s command to pray for others.
As you can imagine, this devotional from the Lord resonates
with us in many ways. Not only does it encourage and keep
hope alive for us, but hopefully it’s a message that someone
else may need to hear, as well.
Has the Lord shown us some positives along the way? Yes, He has!
Does that mean we have avoided any heartbreak or emotional issues?
No, it doesn’t. Does that mean we are spiritually mature? No, it means
we, like many others, are a work in progress and are hopefully gaining
some spiritual maturity.
Honestly, it is difficult to find the positives in this latest journey, but
if we don’t have faith and trust in the Lord, then where else could it
be found. The scans have shown the cancer treatments are working,
and we (including family, close friends and Sunday School class) are
praying for a miracle for her Alzheimer’s.
It is difficult to find the words to express our appreciation for the
love, support and prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
“Thank you!” cannot adequately express the depth and sincerity
of our gratitude to everyone for your prayers.
The scriptures tell us to be thankful for all things, and that’s what
we are trying to do, even though it’s hard. But we are thankful for
what God has done in the past, and as best we can, we are thankful
for what He will do in the future, even though we may be currently
confused and have many questions.
What we do know is, God created us, He loves us, and He wants
what is best for us. Our faith, trust and hope are in Him, and His
ability to heal. Can God provide healing for my wife? As members
of His family, we know He can heal anyone of any disease.
Does He still provide miracles today? His Word says He doesn’t
show any favoritism, so if He healed during biblical times, we
know He still heals today.
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how
true it is that God does not show favoritism..”
(Acts 10:34)
Will God provide a miracle healing? We have no way of knowing what
His will might be. But if He chooses to remove my wife’s disease, we will
have another amazing testimony to share about His answers to the prayers
of so many! The more hopelessness we see, the greater the miracles will be!
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