James 1:2-4 ”My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
The first verse of James tells us to whom he is writing, “James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad:” Called the Diaspora, or Dispersion, the Christian Jews were being persecuted mercilessly in Israel, causing many to flee, seeking shelter away from their ancestral homeland. As you can well imagine, these were Christians undergoing tremendous trials and hardships. Being in Jerusalem, James thoroughly understood and empathized with his flock, and therefore wanted to address this topic in order to strengthen, admonish, and help comfort this body of believers in their time of travail. Therefore, his theme is twofold, the first is obvious to most Christians, we will have trials and tribulations along the way. The second is instructive, and much more difficult: rejoice in those difficult times.
James bids to have a joyful view in both our hearts and minds when faced with trials and obstacles that produce afflictions and even persecution for the gospel’s sake. He’s not referring to the temptations of Satan or fleshly temptations to sin, those are cause for grief, those are the fiery darts unsettling our souls. No, James is referring to trials of faith by our Heavenly Father. Trials such as Abraham faced when instructed by Jehovah to sacrifice his only son and heir Isaac.
It is a certainty of fact, we as followers of Christ will face trials of various sorts, temptations, and tribulations. Notice James doesn’t say “My brethren, count it all joy if you fall in to various trials…”, no, he says “….when you fall into various trials” Peter tells us much the same thing: 1 Peter 4:12 “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. One of my favorite chapters in the bible is Hebrews 11, commonly referred to as “The Hall of Fame” chapter, it is a recitation of heroes of the faith who lived out their faith in the face of tremendous difficulties, trials and tribulations. I especially like these verses: Hebrews 11:35-38 “Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. We live in world far from that reality; and yet still the trials and tribulations we face dramatically affect us and shape us.