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. James 1:12
As we think about the monsoons, trials, and suffering that we face in our lives, one thing we must remember is we cannot always see the bigger picture of what God is doing. He is always working in the world, in our lives, and He has a plan far greater than we could ever imagine. We learn this truth in James 1.
In James 1, James writes that we should consider any trials or troubles "an opportunity for great joy" (verse 2). This sounds the complete opposite of what we would normally think about our monsoons, right? So why should we consider our hard times as opportunities for great joy? James writes that God uses our trials to help us grow. They make us stronger than ever before. Even more, James continues to write, in verse 4, that after we endure testing and temptation, we "will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him." These are the greater things that God is doing in our lives during our trials. What a reward we have been promised! My friend, during monsoons of suffering, we have to cling to these truths found in Scripture. God's plans cannot be changed, and there is a bigger picture happening than what we can presently see. This should strengthen our resolve, confidence, and trust in God. We can also find it to be true that God is bigger than any suffering we can ever face. There a bigger picture than what we can see with our eyes.
My friend, the same is true for you. Whatever storm you are facing, there is a bigger picture going on, and God is working in bigger ways than what you can see right now. One thing is certain. He is working out all things for your good and His glory. You can trust Him.
Whatever we face in this world, we have the promise that one day, all our questions will be answered and we will see the bigger picture of what God is doing in our lives and in the world. Spend some time remembering this promise by listening to the song One Day (When We All Get To Heaven) by Matt Redman. As you listen, remember the joy that we have waiting for us in Heaven if we have placed our faith in Him.
This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad.
Greetings!
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.
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.
