WHEN TROUBLE COMES

There was another kind of test that I did not enjoy as I was growing up, and that was when the teacher would announce that we were going to have a "pop" quiz. I liked multiple choice "guess" tests and true or false tests, but I dreaded essay tests because you had to really know the material in order to pass. As James begins his letter to the church, he states that God is like a schoolteacher who wants to train his children so that when the tests come, they will be able to pass the tests. However, the wonderful thing about all of God's tests is that that they are "open book tests." All of the tests that God allows into our lives are so that our faith can be tested, and we would have the opportunity to put Scripture into practice and pass the test.

In James 1:2, God says through James that trials come to us in many different forms. In fact, the word "trial" can also be translated as "trouble." Trouble comes to us from every side. We should not think that this is strange because Jesus told us that we should expect trouble. In John 16:33, Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble."

Notice that James does not say "if" but "when" you face trials of many kinds. Trouble is one of the constants in life. As long as we are alive, we will have trouble. Family trouble, work place trouble, personal trouble, and financial trouble ... the list is endless. We do not live in a perfect world, and life is not fair. So the question is, how do we handle trouble when it comes? The first thing God tells us through James is: "Consider it all joy."

THE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT ALL OF GOD'S TESTS IS THAT THAT THEY ARE "OPEN BOOK TESTS."

Consider
We are to consider it all joy as we go through the trial. Does that mean we are to be happy about the pain of the problem? No. Being happy is a feeling, and James says nothing about our feelings when he says we are to consider the trial with joy. I like the saying I once heard that says, "Happiness is based upon the happenings in my life but joy comes from the Lord." The reason I like that saying so much is because when we look at trials, there is usually nothing to be happy about. However, we can be joyful in the midst of the trial because we know God is also in the midst of the trouble with us. In other words, verse 3 tells us that God allowed the trial into our life to test our faith. Our faith is tested so that we will become mature and no longer be a spiritual infant. God wants us to grow up and move from being spiritual babies to becoming spiritual adults. The way God grows us is to teach us through His Word and then test us with a trial so that we can apply what we were taught. If we successfully put into practice what we learned from His Word, then we pass the test and we grow to the next level of spiritual maturity.

In elementary school, a children had to take timed math tests on their math facts. Each week they had to correctly answer 30 questions in 3 minutes. If they were unable to do that, they had to take the test again the next day until they could pass. When they passed that test, they would go on to the next level of questions. Some of us are still taking the same tests because we have never passed. God is patiently waiting for us to apply His Word to our trial so that we can pass the test and move on in our spiritual development with Him. God wants you to pass the test!

	TROUBLE IS ONE OF THE CONSTANTS IN LIFE. AS LONG AS WE ARE ALIVE, WE WILL HAVE TROUBLE.

Ask
Do you need help in passing a test? The second step in handling trials correctly is to ask God for wisdom in the midst of the trial. Since God has allowed the trial to come, He obviously wants us to learn something or take us somewhere because of it. Therefore, God tells us to ask Him what we are to learn and how we are to properly respond to the trial. God loves us and as a loving heavenly Father, He always has our good in mind. Even though the trial might be painful and at times more than we think we can bear, God is there with us through it all. So ask God for wisdom, but when He tells you what to do from His Word, you also must do it. Verses 6-8 say clearly that we are not to be double-minded with God's Word. Obedience is not listening to God and then doing it my way. You can't ask God for wisdom, have Him tell you, and then do what you want. It doesn't work that way. In fact, God says that with that mindset, you will not receive anything from God. To successfully pass the test of trials, you must be obedient to God's instructions or you will never pass, and you'll keep coming back to the same kind of situation in life until you handle it God's way.

Persevere
The third and final step is to persevere. Perseverance is simply staying the course even though your feelings say run. I do not enjoy going to the dentist. I feel so uneasy when the hygienist tips me back and starts working in my mouth with those tools that are sharp, twisted, and uncomfortable. Then when the dentist comes in and says that he is going to give me a shot and drill a sensitive tooth with a cavity, I feel like saying, "No, not today." But even though I cringe at the pointed instruments on the metal tray, stiffen with the stab of the needle, and sigh at the sound of the drill, I stay in the chair. I stay in the chair because I know that if I don't allow the dentist to do what needs to be done, my toothache will not go away, but get worse. To persevere is just like staying in the chair. Even though you want to leave, you don't because you know God knows what He is doing, and He is working for your good. James says that if we persevere, blessing will be ours, and blessing always follows obedience! Say that with me, "Blessing always follows obedience." God wants you to pass the test of your faith. What test are you going through right now? What area is God allowing your faith to be tested on? Don't gripe and complain, fuss and fight against what God has allowed to come into your life, but Consider, Ask and Persevere. If you do that, you will pass the test and move to a higher level of spiritual growth, knowledge, and intimacy with God.