“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.” — James 1:2-3, NIV (emphasis added)
There are many passages in the Bible that, at first glance, make me think, “Okay, but surely you don’t mean that.” James 1:2-4 typically falls in that category. Truly, God must have been off his rocker when he inspired this one—we are supposed to consider it pure joy when we suffer? Feels a bit contradictory…
I mean James quite literally says “consider it pure joy” (count it all joy, in other translations)—not just endure, tolerate, or make the best of our circumstances—no, count them as joy. Joy? Really? In the middle of suffering, grief, disappointment, pain, uncertainty, and all the other deliciously wicked things life throws our way? I think it’s fair to assume that, for most people, rejoicing isn’t typically the go-to response when things go terribly wrong.
When we look closely at what James is actually telling us, we see that he is not commanding Christians to enjoy pain or pretend difficult circumstances are pleasant (that would be bonkers). The instruction to count or consider something as joy involves deliberately evaluating what we are experiencing. He encourages us to look beyond immediate discomfort and recognize what God can accomplish through it.
In other words, we do not rejoice because suffering is good, but because God can produce something good even through suffering.
James explains that the testing of our faith produces perseverance. The Greek word used here is hypomonē (ὑπομονή), which connotes steadfastness, endurance, and the ability to remain faithful under pressure (Strong's Greek 5281). This is the spiritual resilience that develops as we learn to depend on God through circumstances we cannot navigate in our own strength.
Most sermons on this topic tend to point to the process of refining precious metals—for good reason! These metals endure intense heat so impurities can be separated from what is valuable. The refining process reveals and purifies what is already there. Similarly, trials can expose the areas of our faith that need strengthening, the things we have relied on more than God, and the places where he is continuing to transform our character.
If you have ever walked through a difficult season, you know just how uncomfortable that process can be. We want God to remove the trial long before we consider what he may be teaching us through it—we want relief, answers, resolution, and all three delivered via Amazon Prime 2-day delivery.
Yet James continues by telling us to “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4, NIV).
Often, we focus so much on escaping our circumstances that we overlook the work God may be doing in the midst of them. But James wants us to recognize that God can shape us even in the seasons we would have never chosen for ourselves. Some of the most significant spiritual growth happens in the very circumstances that reveal how little control we actually have. Terrifying.
Frequently, God uses the very circumstances that expose our limitations to teach us how completely we can depend on him. Paul experienced this when he pleaded with the Lord to remove the thorn from his flesh. We don’t know what it was, but calling it a “thorn” in his flesh paints a pretty vivid picture of how unpleasant it must have been. Rather than removing it, God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV).
Isn’t that incredible? God’s power is not limited by our weakness—in fact, our weaknesses can become the very places where his strength is most clearly displayed. What God can do with our weaknesses is far more powerful than what we can do with our strengths.
“The wilderness is where comfort dies, control crumbles, and faith learns to survive on God alone.” — Kim S. Kinney
We can count it all joy when we face trials, walk through dark seasons, and experience suffering because those are the times when we learn to rely on God most completely. Through that utter reliance, God develops the spiritual resilience, maturity, and perseverance James describes.
“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” (James 1:5, NIV).
When we lack the wisdom to navigate these trials, God is gracious enough to give us what we need. We aren’t expected to figure everything out on our own. We can admit that we don’t know what to do and ask the One who does. He doesn’t rebuke us for needing help—he gives generously! Psalm 50:15 invites us to call upon the Lord in our day of trouble. We honor God when we acknowledge our weakness and depend on his strength rather than pretending we can manage everything ourselves.
I am currently re-reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and came across this very concept. Writing from the perspective of Screwtape, a demon advising his nephew Wormwood, Lewis describes how seasons of spiritual dryness can become opportunities for profound growth. Screwtape observes:
“It is during such trough periods (trials), much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He (God) wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him best.” (clarification added)
I think that is such a powerful picture of perseverance. It is continuing to obey, rely on, and turn to God in prayer even when his presence feels distant, and we cannot understand what he is doing. We may not feel strong, joyful, or confident. We may be exhausted, confused, or desperately ready for a difficult season to end. But we can still choose to trust him, ask for wisdom, and continue walking with him.
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12, NIV).
James later brings it all together and points us beyond the immediate trials of life and toward the reality of eternity. Perseverance is about remaining faithful to the God we love, knowing that what he has promised us is infinitely greater than anything we will endure this side of eternity. We can know that everything we endure on this earth ultimately leads us to receiving the promised eternal life with our loving God.
That is why James can tell us to consider it pure joy. We can count it joy, not because we enjoy the trial, but because we know and trust the God who is with us in it.
bytaylormcgee
