My Trials, His Purpose

One of the most surprising and perplexing passages in the Bible is James 1:2-4. It sounds naïve. It sounds insensitive. It sounds impossible. It only makes sense when read with absolute faith in the goodness of God and the sovereignty of God. You’ve got to absolutely trust God to accept what this passage says. “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4). The simple understanding of James 1:2-4 is that God allows hardship to strengthen our faith, and we’ve got to trust Him when hardship comes.