I'm Joyful About My Trouble

James 1:2
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds



Joyful, Joyful we adore thee, God of Glory, lord of love;

Hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the sun above

Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark doubt away



When we think of Joy we think of the radiance of God’s Glory and the feeling of exuberance because of the good things that accompany God’s presence in your life. We think of the bliss of a loved one that brings a smile to our face like Anita Baker felt when she sang “you bring me Joy when I’m down.” But who thinks of Joy when you are going through trials and tribulations? Who has a smile on their face when they are going through hard times?! We should! Why?

As believers in Jesus Christ we can have Joy in a season of recession because we know there’s purpose in our tests. There is something God is trying to accomplish through my trials that I can be joyful in advance about.

When it seems like you have trials on every hand it simply means that God is up to something.

Count it all joy because:

1. The testing of your faith develops perseverance. It is the ability to endure. When an athlete trains they put their body through all kinds of tests so that they may be able to endure when it’s regular season. If you've never been through any tests you won’t be able to preservere when it’s your season. The testing of your faith means God is getting you ready for a new season.

2. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature. God’s got to grow us up. In order for a baby eagle to grow and fly the mother eagle puts thorns in the nest to make the baby uncomfortable so they will leave the nest and fly high. If it’s uncomfortable in your life right now count it all Joy because God is getting ready to give you Eagle wings to fly higher than you have before!

3. Perseverance must finish its work so you can be complete. There are aspects of our personalities that God has to work on and most of the time when we are going through tests it's because we haven’t passed them yet. God needs to complete what’s missing in our personality through this test.

4. Perseverance must finish its work so you will not lack anything. In other words, God’s teaching us to find peace in the middle of our storm. The word Shalom means, "nothing missing, noting broken.” At the end of what we are going through is Peace which surpasses all human understanding.
Count it all Joy!

Dear God, thank you for my trials, for they have come to make me stronger. I’m joyful this season because Jesus is working on me. I’m becoming more mature day by day. He’s perfecting me through my trials and I shall come forth as pure gold!

In Jesus Name,
Amen!