James 1:2–4
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
When you face a trial, what is your natural response? Do you try to push through it as quickly as possible? Are you desperate to make sense of it all, searching for an explanation right away? Or are you willing to sit still in your suffering, even when answers are slow to come? What do you typically believe is the reason behind your pain? Do you find yourself blaming God, others, or even yourself? How do you process the weight of trials when they come? These are all good questions worth processing, but what about “counting it all joy, when you meet trials of various kinds.”?
Joy in trials? This is not usually my first instinct. Trials often feel heavy, confusing, even crushing. So how do we embrace James’ call to “count it all joy”? Let’s consider what James is saying through two lenses: why this mindset is so difficult and how we can cultivate it.
Why Counting Trials as Joy Is Hard
Our natural inclination is to root our joy in temporary, worldly things - comfort, success, or fleeting pleasures. When trials disrupt these, we struggle to find joy because our focus is fixed on what’s seen rather than what’s eternal. The Bible reminds us, “For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Our hearts often cling to the temporal, missing the “complete joy” found in Christ alone (John 15:11). Trials expose this tension, revealing where our true affections lie and challenging us to shift our perspective.
How to Cultivate a Joyful Posture in Trials
James provides a transformative equation: Trials + Faith → Testing → Steadfastness → Maturity (James 1:3-4). The Greek word for “testing” (dokimion) refers to a refining process, like gold purified in fire (1 Peter 1:7). Trials aren’t random; they’re divinely orchestrated to prove your faith genuine and to produce steadfastness, shaping you into the likeness of Christ. This maturity leaves you “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4) - not in this life, but as a trajectory toward glory.
To live this way, we must fix our eyes on Christ, trusting that “all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Every trial, no matter how painful, is a tool in God’s hands, molding you into His image. It’s not about escaping suffering but embracing its purpose: to make you whole, to draw you closer to the One who endured the ultimate trial for your sake (Hebrews 12:2).
So, when trials come, don’t just endure them - count them joy. Not because the pain feels good, but because God is using it to make you more like His Son. Let your faith be refined, your hope anchored in eternity, and your heart set on the day when you’ll stand complete before Him.
Paul and James both say that we should rejoice in our trials because of their beneficial results. It is not the adversity considered in itself that is to be the ground of our joy. Rather, it is the expectation of the results, the development of our character that should cause us to rejoice in adversity. God does not ask us to rejoice because we have lost our job, or a loved one has been stricken with cancer, or a child has been born with an incurable birth defect. But He does tell us to rejoice because we believe He is in control of those circumstances and is at work through them for our ultimate good. - Jerry Bridges
