How do I have JOY in the midst of pain?

There is a passage in James 1:2-4 that really used to puzzle me. James says, "Consider it 'pure joy' whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything."

I used to think to myself that that sounds great when life is good. I would give a heartfelt "Amen" to that, but when the trials would come, I would not be counting anything in the trial as "pure joy." I found myself feeling guilty that I was not in the depths of joy when the trials came in like a flood. I understood that God wanted to produce perseverance in me so that I could look more like Jesus through the trial and after the trial, but it was in the midst of the trial that I struggled with the joy part. I mean, let us be honest, how many of us really are thrilled to death when hard times come? I thought to myself that maybe I just was not spiritual enough to be in the throngs of total joyful bliss when it looked like life was falling apart.

However, one day, as I was studying this scripture, it hit me what James was talking about. James was not taking about being in "pure joy" over the trial I was in, but he was referring to having "pure joy" in the one who was in control of the trial. You see, we do not have to have "pure joy" in the trial of dealing with sickness or the death of a loved one or financial difficulties or a whole myriad of struggles and problems. Our "pure joy" is not in the trial itself; it is in the one who is in control of the trial! My "pure joy" is knowing that I serve a God who is totally and completely in control of the difficulties I may face! I can have that "pure joy" in the midst of uncertainty because I serve a God who is certain, a God who NEVER changes, and a God who is using the trial in my life to help me look more and more like His son Jesus.

You see, it is easy to love God and serve Him when all is well. It is easy to say how great He is when we can see our way clearly, and there are no apparent obstacles in our way. It is a different story when the struggles are so great that you cannot think straight, and the pain is so deep that it hurts to breathe. We have to be very careful when those trials come because the devil will always try to use those times of pain to get you to doubt the character of God. He wants you to think that God is a liar - that what God says is not true because if God really loved you then why in the world is __________ (you fill in the blank) happening. I think that's why James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote these verses as a reminder to us to keep the proper perspective of trials and what they are for and who is in control in the midst of them.

I cannot tell you how many times the Lord has brought these verses to my heart when I had been dealing with a difficult time. It is as if the Holy Spirit would use these verses to whisper to my heart that God is in control, and I can trust Him. I can have that "pure joy" because the God I serve is the one and only true God, He is the God who scooped out the oceans with His hand, yet He knows my name, the very God who spoke the world into existence but is not too big to know the number of hairs on my head, the God who speaks and the wind and waves obey His command, yet He took the time to form me in my mother’s womb. This is the God we love and serve. Even in the midst of uncertainty, He is certain, and we can trust Him and have "pure joy."

I hope that this encourages your heart today! God loves you so much that He sent His one and only son to die for you! He desires to have a real relationship with you where He will walk with you through every trial you will ever face. Have you truly given your life to Him? If not, you can. Religion is a poor substitute for the real thing. A relationship with Jesus is what changes your life. That relationship has helped me through those trials I was talking to you about. You can also have that assurance that God is with you through everything. Are you sure you know Him? If not, email me at pwjj4@yahoo.com, and I would be glad to talk with you. I love you, and God loves you, too!