My Friend James: Enduring in Trials
Recall that James begins his book by saying that we should “count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds”. Let’s all just acknowledge that finding joy in trials is a big ask. Finding joy in the death of a loved one or loss of a job or major health issue requires the help of the Holy Spirit to focus on the goal of trials, which, as James tells us, is that we become “perfect and complete”.
James circles back to trials beginning in verse 12. James 1:12 [NLT] “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
The Greek word used for “endure” here can mean “bear, suffer, persevere, not recede or flee”. That sounds more like a reasonable request for a person facing a trial = just hang in there and get through it. Don’t give up. Jesus uses the same Greek word in Matthew 10:22, where He says, “And ye shall be hated of all for My name’s sake. But he that endures to the end shall be saved.” [NKJV] He uses that same word again in Matthew 24:13, after giving the first segment of His end-time prophecy.
We read encouragement to endure from other New Testament writers as well. I Corinthians 13:7 tells us that love “endures all things”. 1 Peter 2:18 tells us it is commendable to endure wrongful grief and suffering we face because of being servants of God.
The word “endures” appears 64 times in the Bible (in the NKJV) across both the Old and New Testaments, including multiple times in the Old Testament where we are told that God’s truth (Psalm 100:5), goodness (Psalm 52:1), righteousness (Psalm 111:3), dominion (Psalm 145:13) and mercy (Psalm 106:1: 107:1) endure.
Psalm 107:1 [NKJV] Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for [He is] good! For His mercy [endures] forever.
When put I am thankful that these things of God – truth, goodness, and righteousness – ensure forever. But I am most grateful that His mercy endures. David must have felt that way too, because I counted 32 times in the book of Psalms where it says some version of “His mercy endures forever”.
It is comforting to know that His mercy endures through all that I put Him through with my sins and struggles. I am grateful that it is impossible to dry up that well of mercy no matter how often I have to humbly repent. Let’s face it, human beings have been a trial to our loving Father since the beginning when Adam and Eve chose the forbidden fruit of the tree of life and had to be expelled from the beautiful, peaceful Garden of Eden. The first time we see the word “grieved” applied to the Lord is in Genesis 6:6, where He was “grieved in His heart” that he had made man on the earth. Ouch.
Psalm 107:1 [NKJV] Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for [He is] good! For His mercy [endures] forever.
But He is there with us, through all our lives, enduring, loving, watching, helping, forgiving and so much more. While enduring trials is touch for we humans, I am grateful that our God endures with us through it all as He works with us toward our achieving that “perfect and complete” state that my friend James has promised will be the result of our trials.
How about you? What enduring part of God’s character and truth do you most appreciate when you are going through trials or just trying to live life as a new creation in the Lord?
I hope you will continue to meet with me here and will share your own thoughts on the book of James.
You can write me any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org