July Devotional: Finding Joy in Trials

Scripture: James 1, NIV

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:
Greetings.

Trials and Temptations

2. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, Lal whenever you face trials of many kinds,

3. because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

4. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 

5. 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.

6. 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. ' That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ® Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation-since they will pass away like a wild flower. 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

12 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.

13. When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

14. but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.

15. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

16. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.

17. Every good and pertect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

18. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Listening and Doing

19. My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

20. because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

21. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
22. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
23. Anyone who listens to the
word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror

24. and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

25. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it-not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it-they will be blessed in what they do.
26. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 21 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

My Thoughts

James 1 speaks to me in a really personal way because it does not say if trials come. It says when. That alone reminds me that hardship is not always a sign that God has left me or that I am doing something wrong. Sometimes the very place that feels heavy, confusing, or uncomfortable is the place where God is building the things I have been praying for.
When James says to "count it all joy," I do not believe he is saying that pain feels good or that we should pretend life is easy. Real trials hurt. They stretch you. They expose the parts of you that are tired, afraid, impatient, or unsure. But joy comes from knowing that when God is involved, the pain is not pointless. Even when I do not understand what He is doing, I can trust that He is producing something deeper in me.
I think about it like training. The workouts that build you the most are usually the ones that feel the most uncomfortable in the moment. Your body wants to stop, your mind starts looking for a way out, and everything in your flesh wants comfort. But that temporary inconvenience can lead to permanent improvement if you stay committed to the process. In the same way, trials may feel uncomfortable for a season, but God can use them to build something lasting in us.
That is why finding joy in trials is so powerful. It changes the way we think about what is happening. Instead of only seeing the trial as something attacking us, we can begin to see it as something God can use to mature us. It teaches us to respond from the Spirit instead of reacting from the flesh. The flesh wants to complain, quit, compare, control, or escape. But the Spirit teaches us to trust, surrender, endure, pray, and keep walking with God even when it is hard.
I relate to this because there have been seasons where I felt like I was carrying more than I knew how to handle. School, basketball, business, content, relationships, pressure, doubt, past pain, and trying to stay close to Christ all at the same time can feel overwhelming. There are days where my body feels worn down, my mind feels tired, and start questioning if 1 am really moving in the right direction. But James 1 reminds me that God can use even those moments. The trials are not wasted when I surrender them to Him.

The hard seasons have shown me that trials do not just test my taith. Iney reveal where my taith really is. hey show me whether I am only trusting God when I feel strong, when things make sense, or when the path is clear, or if I am willing to trust Him when I cannot see the full picture yet. John 13:7 connects with this so deeply because Jesus says,
"You do not realize
now what I am doing, but later you will understand." There are so many moments in life where we do not understand what God is doing in the moment, but later we realize He was working in ways we could not see.
James also reminds me to ask God for wisdom, and that part means a lot to me. When life gets hard, I do not just need motivation. I need direction. I need God to show me what to hold on to, what to let go of, what to change, what to surrender, and how to keep walking with Him even when I feel unsure.! need wisdom that comes from Him, not just confidence that comes from myself.
This month, I want James 1 to remind me that trials are not the end of the story. They are part of the process God can use to shape me. He is teaching me endurance, patience, wisdom, obedience, humility, and real faith. Even the hardest seasons can become holy ground when I keep walking with Him. I may not always understand what God is doing right now, but I can trust that He is not wasting any part of my story.