Never forget that what the devil plans for bane God permit to bless. Brace yourself in advance so that you won’t be shocked by dark days in your life. Be resolved to keep going, not faint, and get the intended benefit of character forged like Christ. Ask for all His wisdom that you need to steady the ship and navigate your course. Wait for God who works all for good.

Some trials of faith can be so sudden and ferocious that they can knock us off balance, cause our hearts to tremble, confuse our minds, force us to run away, or yield to pressure, compromise or stress. Other tests we face are so arduous and prolonged that they wear or grind us down, leave us exhausted and wrung out, or gradually drive us down into the depth of depression and despair.

Context

James, not one of the twelve, but a brother of our Lord, presided over the earliest Jerusalem Church. He had passed unscathed through initial waves of hostility that buffeted apostles. His namesake had been martyred by beheading after a brutal reprisal of Herod. Disciples had been hauled before courts, hurled into jail, or left without work, as Saul raged against Christ. He writes to calm and challenge scattered saints.

Be Positive

Though their trials are great, believers must not lose heart. Their outlook should be buoyant as they reckon pain “all joy”. This careful calculation is not Christian masochism. It is not “pure” or “sheer” joy, as some translator suggest, that is delightful in itself. “No pain, no gain” comes closer to the truth. If it is an instant plus to suffer stripes that identify believers with Christ, affliction and persecution accrue long-term benefits, and are thus “all joy”.

Be Bi-Perspectival

Don’t jump to rash conclusions about the origin of your pain. It is overly simplistic to point the finger at the devil, or reduce all affliction to divine punishment. James employs an identical term for both “temptation” and “test”. What he is impressing upon us is that, like a coin, trials are two-sided and should be viewed from both angles. Satan aims to hurt by what God allows to help. In trial we are meant not to sin but to stand.

Be Prepared

Christians are neither to be surprised or alarmed by trails of “various kinds”.

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