Might God have a delight in seeing us fail? Does He find pleasure in watching us stumble headfirst into one mess after another? Does He laugh over events that leave us emotionally stunned, muddied?
The only answer to that is an emphatic and crystal clear, “No!”
Then why do sudden and terrifying/heartbreaking/breathtaking events come our way, particularly when we are making concerted efforts to follow closely, live correctly?
One constant component to that answer, though absolutely not the full answer, can be found in the instruction and encouragement given us by Jesus’ half-brother, James.
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:2-5)
This flies in the face of all we are taught and observe in our world… consider it all joy when we encounter trials?? What about counting it as anger, annoyance, frustration, helplessness, hopelessness, impatience, sadness, defeat, worthlessness? And those all came to me in just moments… give me just a few more minutes and I’m confident you and I could add dozens of other natural, immediate responses, and according to James, evidently wrong responses to challenges we’ve known.
When we understand, or at least acknowledge, that trials serve a purpose,
other than the immediate destruction they seem intended to inflict on us,
we can indeed take a breath and move our focus from what’s happening externally to what is happening internally.
Internally is where our faith resides, where decisions are made, where growth happens, and according to the scripture, where tested faith produces endurance.
Externally we can be maligned, bruised and bloodied, saddened to the point of sickness, provoked and stressed, discouraged, confused, yet we are instructed to respond with joy at the prospect of an opportunity to test our faith, submit to God’s guidance, receive His provision, and show the world how a trial is correctly met.
I hear you… But even when we are working our hardest at living well, obeying His Word, loving Him and our neighbor as fully as we know how?
Yes, even then… possibly especially then.
What good is an untested faith? What if we woke every morning, confident of our relationship with the God of the universe, confident He was there with us and already busy working out His wonderful plan for our day, confident all that comes our way would be for our good (and not include any wicked influence), confident we would end the day just as we began it… on top and untouchable.
An untested faith, just like an untested muscle or even idea, is weak.
Consider this. Challenges to our life… from the insignificant irritations of misplaced car keys and spilled coffee to mild misunderstandings with others and delays or detours, even to great personal disasters like relational trauma, financial loss, health emergencies … are intended to show us not only our true weakness, but also the true strength and the supremacy of God’s supply and His ever-willing desire to be our Help.
Could it be we are meant to seriously acknowledge our bumps in the road, regardless of their size or intensity, as from the Hand of God with the intention of growing us in a significant way? Could we train ourselves to stop and take a breath before reacting out of fear or pain? Could we learn to respond by giving thanks for this new challenge and lay it at the feet of Jesus, acknowledging a weak, but growing faith in His goodness, His provision, His wisdom?
The best, but not only, answer to these questions is an emphatic and crystal clear, “Yes!” You and I have chosen all those other options, and we have the scars to prove it. Let’s endeavor today to respond to that next challenge with joy… pure, confident joy … and allow that challenge to grow our faith stronger and our endurance deeper as we trust our heavenly Father with its purpose and outcome.
moonbeamsandsalt 