At some point in your life, have you found yourself in a situation when you have to wonder, “What in the world is THIS all about?” I sure have! We all have those times when this has happened, some times when you would least expect it. Some of us even seem to have more than our fair share of these times.
The Apostle James tells us to count them all joy, it says in James 1:2-3, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
As we know, to have the ability to count it all joy, is easier said than done. We must ask what many might think is a silly question: What exactly are trials and tests, anyway?
Why must we face these trials and tribulations and why should we be told to count them a joy? Is there a right way and a wrong way to approach trials?
1 Peter 1:7 says where the testing of our faith is compared, is like comparing it to the quality and purity of gold. The book of James tells us 1:2) have a purpose. When you have a purpose, no matter what seems to come up against us, we will dodge bullets and come out of the trials without missing one step. You are on a mission, and nothing will stop you. The Holy Spirit is with you, when you walk in your anointed purpose!
Have you found yourself, stunned, sitting in the middle of a dark place, wondering “How did this happen to me?” Did you feel so shocked by what just happened to you that you could not pray? Yet the Lord knew just how you felt. Could it all have been a test?
When it happened to me, all I could do was have a quick talk with Jesus. I remember saying, God, Jesus, Mama and Daddy, all of you up there in heaven, I’m in trouble right now, and I need you to order my steps! And my steps surely were ordered. The actions that came next were none of my fleshly doing, my behavior was a shocker, even to me. It was as if nothing at all had happened to me. Life went on, just as usual; in fact, as if it had been already planned that way. My steps were indeed, ordered by the Lord. You will know for sure your test did not break you!
Did you pass your test? We are not only told that we must undergo many tests throughout this life, as indeed all humans must, but we are also given a pattern to follow in handling them. Face it. It is hard enough to maintain a decent attitude when you are going through troubles that you know you brought on yourself, but what about those things that happen to us unfairly? You say, “Lord, I didn’t deserve that!”
When we find ourselves in the midst of big problems, keep in mind that there may have been a similar “behind-the-scenes” conversation about us. God has established the limits of our trial, but we don’t know what those limits are!
What we as Christians experience is not generally time and chance. The devil does not “sneak up” while God’s back is turned. God is involved in every test that we undergo and He has established preset limits beyond which Satan cannot go. God is in charge!
Count it ALL joy, is truly an excellent scripture to embrace during these times. And it also is expressed in another of my favorite scriptures, Romans 8:28, which says, “And we know that all things work together for good, to them who love God and are the called according to His purpose!”
Lyndia Grant is a radio talk show host on WYCB (1340 AM), Fridays at 6 p.m. Visit her website at www.lyndiagrant.com. Contact her at 202-558-2107 or lyndiagrant@gmail.com.