When times of trials come
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. James 1:2-6
Christianity is not a religion; it’s about life. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ said He will provide those that will trust Him. In John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The goal of God in the life of a believer is that they grow into maturity. From the text, James said that maturity is attained through perseverance that was developed by experiencing trials. In Greek word where the word “troubles” or “trials” were derived from was the word “pirates.” It is the where the English word “pirate” came from. The idea is that when a follower of Christ is not growing in their faith and confronted with trials, something valuable is being taken away. Having a wrong response to trials can lead you to think that God does not care. God knows that only when you go through trials in life that your faith could grow. If it weren’t for the trials you will not develop perseverance and will not attain God’s goal of maturity. Faith could only grow when tested. Whether you have faith in God or not, trials while in this world are inevitable. If you are a child of God, it helps to understand that God had planned that the trials you will endure will help you develop so you could be the person He wants you to be. “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” (Romans 8:28). James urged believers that when trials come, instead of bailing out asked God for wisdom. Instead of allowing doubts and confusions prevail during times of testing humbly come to God in prayer. You come to the Lord and say, "Lord I need your wisdom. I need your help, I am confused. I don't know what to do. I don't know what the next step is going to be." Faith in God is like a muscle that needs to grow and gets stretched so that when times of trials come, you have the strength that comes from Him because you trust Him to help you face those trials. God is interested in developing your character that will help you grow having Christlike qualities. You will only learn this when facing trials in life. “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Blessings.
