Growing Through Trials

Back to Basics: (Part XII)

GROWING THROUGH TRIALS

Romans 8:18 (NIV)
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

James 1:2-6, 12 (NIV)
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

            One of the most difficult questions to answer is the problem of pain and suffering on the part of the righteous. Somehow, people in general assume that life’s troubles are always caused by evil thoughts and actions. However, when we go to the Bible, we would find some God-loving, righteous-living individuals who have gone through severe troubles. Remember Daniel in the Old Testament. He did his best to live out his faith righteously without compromise, but because of some corrupt government officials who were envious of him, he ended up being arrested and thrown into the den of lions (Daniel 6). How about John the Baptist in the New Testament? He faithfully preached about the coming of Jesus Christ only to be persecuted and beheaded by King Herod Antipas (Matt. 14:1-12). In fact, it is safe to say that all great men in the Bible have had their share of troubles.

            Obviously, God has allowed these things to happen because He is using them for our growth and to make us far better and beautiful before His eyes. The apostle Paul, with great confidence, wrote the truth of this in Romans 8:18 - I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

            None of us enjoy our present troubles, but according to Paul, our assurance is that through them, God is able to impart to us His glory or His beauty. In other words, He is able to move us forward in our walk with Him and cause us to grow into His image.

            So, how are you responding to your life’s troubles? This is really the most critical part. How you respond to your trials will either make you or break you. That’s the reason why we need to talk about this in our series – Back to Basics. Every believer needs to understand that the issue is not about having troubles, but of having the right attitude when troubles come.

Our main text was written by James, who was the pastor of the first Bible Church of Jerusalem, to the early believers who were scattered all over the known world because of the growing persecutions against them. He wanted to provide them with some guidelines so they won’t be discouraged; instead, they would continually grow in the midst of their difficult situations. Let’s re-examine these guidelines he presented to them:

I           THE REJOICING: (vs.2-3)

            This is what separates the mature Christians from the immature ones. While the immature ones will be complaining, the mature believers will be rejoicing. Humanly speaking, trials and rejoicing don’t go together. But how could this be possible? The secret is proper perspective. There are two phrases from verses 2-3 that emphasizes this truth:

  1. A.     “Consider it” (v.2)

To consider can also mean to evaluate or to regards as. We should not evaluate or regard our trials as a curse or as a punishment, but something that can prompt us to rejoice.  

  1. B.     “Because you know” (v.3)

This is not the knowledge that came out of classroom instructions, but the knowledge based on experiences. If we are to evaluate our experiences or the experiences of other believers, we can see clearly that God had used troubles to impart growth and blessings into our lives.

Genesis 50:20 (NIV)
20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

            Hindsight, Joseph was able to rejoice despite all the troubles he had gone through because he saw the positive things that came out of them – Not only that he became the prime minister of Egypt, he was also instrumental in preserving his entire family from famine.

            There are some facts about trials that you need to be familiar with:

  • “Whenever you face trials” – it is not whether you would face them, but when will you face them. If they are not yet here, they will surely come.
  • “Trials of many kinds “- You won’t get bored with them because they come in different forms (finances, failures, sicknesses, deaths, relational conflicts, etc)

Again, we need the proper perspective. The reality is: we will face trials. We won’t have to avoid them. Instead, we should rejoice and welcome them because we know God can use them to bless us.

II         THE REASONS: (vs. 2-4)

            The main question that we need to answer is: how is God using our trials? When we continue to read our text, James had specifically identified the reasons for our trials. As believers, we should never be ignorant of the rich blessings we can receive out of them:

  1. A.     Purification – “Testing of your faith” (v.3)

God is in the business of testing our faith. The idea of testing comes from the process of purifying gold. It has been said that in order to make gold more precious, goldsmiths have to place gold into a red-hot fiery furnace to remove any impurities. The hotter the fire, the more impurities are burned off and the more valuable or precious, the gold becomes. In the same way, our faith has to be tested in order to make it more precious. Peter had the same perspective about trials. Listen to his words:

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV)
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
7 These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

  1. B.     Perseverance – “develops perseverance” (v.3)

Perseverance is necessary in the Christian life. The truth is many Christians simply give up when they get tired, when the way gets rough, or when God doesn't answer their prayers quickly enough. We will never get anywhere in the Christian life with this attitude. To grow spiritually we must learn to persevere. This reminds me of the words of Calvin Coolidge who said:

"Press on. Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are important."

He was absolutely right! You see, when we persevere-when we hang in there-then we grow and mature into the people that God wants us to be and are made able to do the things He designed us to do. We have to persevere in the face of difficulties.

  1. C.     Perfection – “that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (v.4)

The idea of perfection does not mean being without sin. This simply suggests maturity or being fully developed in every part. Paul had explicitly revealed to us that God’s ultimate goal in saving us is to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ. One of His primary instruments to accomplish this will be through life’s circumstances:

Romans 8:28-29 (NIV)
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

            You have to connect verse 28 – “all things God works for the good,” with the statement of purpose in verse 29 – “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his So. . .” Indeed, God is in control of everything that happens to us. He is making sure that everything will be used to develop our character into the image of Jesus Christ. So we can rejoice in everything.

III        THE RESOURCES: (vs. 5-6)

            Thirdly, if we are still struggling to rejoice despite all the knowledge, James added some resources which God has made available for us:

  1. A.     Prayer:

God is just a prayer away. In a way, another blessing that trials can bring us is that it can bring us closer to God. The author of Hebrews encourages us:

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)
16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

            Never hesitate to go to God, and never be embarrassed to pour your heart to Him whenever you are in troubles. Unfortunately, it is easier for many to run to friends, doctors, and counselors when they are in troubles rather than to run to God. Of course, there is nothing wrong to go to human helpers; but we need to go to the best one first – GOD. The Psalmist reminds us:

Psalm 118:8 (NIV)
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

  1. B.     Wisdom:

Throughout the Bible, wisdom is defined as the practical use of God-given knowledge. Now, in the context of the passage, wisdom would mean the ability to discern God’s hand in human circumstances. During difficult times, we need to say, “God, I know there’s something good in this for me. Help me to see your plan and your hand in this adversity. Show me how to respond so that I can get the best from this.”

Today, we have to be very careful. Yes, knowledge abounds in the world, but wisdom is lacking. We cannot rely on the world, neither on our own understanding. We are better off listening to James – Ask God for wisdom. If we ask, we will never be disappointed. Why? James focuses on two important truths about God:

  • God gives generously – God is definitely a generous giver. He will never withhold anything good from us.
  • He will help without finding fault – There are people who use giving of gifts as opportunities to belittle, insult, or even rebuke the recipients. God will never do this. He will never say, “You deserve what you are going through,” or “I told you so.”

There is a great promise about prayer that Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)
7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

            Again, if we ask, He will give. And He will always be an abundant giver. Do you need wisdom? Just ask , and God will never withhold it from us.

IV        THE REWARDS: (v.12)

            Lastly, James closes this section with a great promise of blessedness. To be blessed means to be so happy. Every time this word is used in the Bible, it does not refer to happiness which comes from happenings or the external circumstances in life, but this is the inner joy and satisfaction which only God can bestow. This is the same context of the word joy in verse 2, the joy we can experience in the midst of trials.

If you read verse 12, this joy is attached with the crown of life. This is the reward that God bestows to those who persevere in the midst of all the difficulties and struggles of life. The term crown is borrowed from the Garland or Wreath presented to all the winners of athletic competitions during the ancient times. Well, James has plainly said that the crown of life is bestowed, not simply for experiencing trials, but for enduring trials. God is going to reward all the winners, and this prize can be a good reason for persevering under troubles. John had the same concept in Revelation 2:10:

Revelation 2:10 (NIV)
10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

            God is surely delighted when He sees us persevering over our trials. It is true that if we remain faithful here, there’s a crown that is waiting for us when we get to heaven. But, I also believe, this crown can also mean promotion for this life. In other words, if we are faithful to God in the midst of all our troubles, God will give us His promotion in this life. The lives of Joseph, David, and Daniel are just some of the examples in the Bible of people who have experienced promotions because they persevered. We don’t just get promoted to a better life when we get to heaven. It can happen while we are still here. 

            Do you have the right perspective whenever the Lord allows you to go through trials? They should not make us bitter, but better. Remember, God is using them to help us grow.