²Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, ³knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

Right away James jumps into the present felt needs that are common to all Christians, dealing with the trials of life. Jesus had forewarned His disciples in the upper room, “In the world you will have tribulation.” He followed this with the promise, “but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). James was not present when the Lord said that, but under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he takes up this theme, with the result that believers down through the centuries have found great comfort and guidance.

Counterintuitively, we are told to have an attitude of joy. This is a command, so it is unequivocal. The starting point of dealing with the difficult things in our life is joy. Yet, so often, our circumstances are the very things that rob us of our joy. Christian faith teaches us that since Jesus overcame the world, we can do likewise. The key to overcoming begins with our attitude toward it. There is joy, there can be joy, there will be joy, because we believe in Jesus, against all that our circumstances may dictate to the contrary. As believers, we should never be under our circumstances but over our circumstances.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He began with, “Our Father who is in heaven . . .” We are to begin with our God, our Father who is over all things, including our most difficult circumstances. And He tells us through His Word to, therefore, “consider it all joy.”

So how do we make ourselves to be joyful? Actually, we can’t do this in a vacuum. James gives a reason for this, directing us to consider the benefit of suffering. This is where faith takes us above our circumstances to see the long game—to look past the present pain and suffering and see from God’s eternal perspective, above, in heaven. There is a purpose in suffering. By faith, as James strongly admonishes us, we turn our focus from our immediate discomfort to what the suffering will actually do for us.

First, suffering tests our faith. Without any resistance, faith cannot grow. Like the wind blowing on a palm tree strengthens it to withstand greater winds, so trials fortify our little faith into greater, stronger faith. You see, faith that leads us to salvation continues to grow stronger, but it requires opposition for the strengthening to happen.

Second, God uses the test of our faith to produce endurance. This is needed because suffering always lasts longer than we feel we can handle. The endurance of faith grows, and will continue to grow until we arrive in eternity.

Lord, I rejoice that You desire to strengthen my faith by the trials You bring.