No PressureSample

Many things in life can cause us to wonder if God is really in control. Perhaps we’re unsure whether we can truly trust Him, or we’re uncertain even in the age of information about what is true. Possibly our emotions, what others tell us, or our circumstances leave us feeling unsure, confused, and discouraged. But at the beginning of his letter, James reminds us that joy, steadfastness, and spiritual maturity come from knowing and trusting that God is who He says He is, and He’ll do what He has said He’ll do.

Count it all joy. What a crazy idea. James tells us that we don’t have to wait for suffering to end to have joy. Joy comes in the midst of it, because our suffering isn’t pointless. God uses it to produce something worthwhile and eternal. But James wasn’t telling us to put on a facade and ignore our pain. He was no stranger to trials, and neither were his readers. He was the brother of Jesus, which meant he saw the deep suffering Jesus and his family went through, and eventually James himself was killed for his faith. He was reminding us that when we truly rejoice in our hardships, trials will form in us a spiritual maturity that’s strengthened as we remain under the weight of our suffering.