Has God Failed Us?: Reflections on James 1, Part 2

In Part 1, I said that believing in God isn’t enough, we must also believe God. This can be difficult at times, especially when our circumstances seem to contradict our expectations about what God’s promises mean for our lives. Ever since teaching this passage back in 2019, I have come back to one of the main themes of the book of James over and over again: we must believe God more than we believe ourselves. Let me explain…

Believe God More Than You Believe Yourself

We have already established that trouble will come, and we should not be surprised or confused when it does, because God has in fact told us that it would. The reality is that we have a choice in the way we respond when it comes. Part 1 explored Door Number One: Responding to trial with joy and faith, leading to steadfastness, which leads to perfection, and ultimately to the crown of life. Today we are going to continue reflecting on James 1:1-18 and walk through Door Number Two: But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death (vs. 14-15).

This verse is often quoted, but it is easily missed that it occurs in the context of a sermon on trials. The message here is that trials of various kinds test where our faith lies. As we are bombarded by hardship, we inevitably reach out for something to hold onto, something to ease the pain, something to get us through just one more day. Steadfastness, holding onto the Lord and His promises are one option, but the world has many options to offer us as well.

Door Number Two is a Death Trap

Perhaps, despite mommy wine culture that encourages indulgence to get through the day, you know that your drinking has a hold on you and it has gone beyond a good gift to enjoy and become a master that must be served. Maybe you have become permissive with filthy language because it relieves a little pressure when you emphatically spit out a four letter word. Or maybe you have allowed a root of bitterness to dig in deep because it feels good to have someone to be mad at, someone to talk about, and look down on when your own life feels shameful. I have struggled at times with all of these lures, believing the lie that they will calm the storms of my chaos and ease my burden as a caretaker to a disabled child. Whatever your temptation is, whatever threatens to take you on the pathway from temptation to sin to death, Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (vs. 16-17).

Do not be deceived by the promises the world makes.

If you are a person with mental illness— crippling anxiety, debilitating depression, terrifying mania, or confusing delusions— don’t believe the lie that self-medicating with drugs or alcohol will take your pain away. Those roads end in death.

If you are neurodivergent, and suffer ridicule, being misunderstood and burnout from the constant effort of masking— don’t believe the lie that you don’t belong in the body of Christ and that isolation will take your pain away. That road ends in death.

If you love someone in one of the above categories, don’t believe the myriad of lies offered to you regarding how to ease the pain of watching your loved one suffer via alcohol, bitterness, shopping, self-centeredness. Those roads end in death.

You might feel like you would be happier doing things in the way of the world. I’m certainly tempted by this impression. You might be tempted, and you might even be right. You might be happier today if you pursue the worlds solutions to your problems. The Bible doesn’t say that if you follow him you’ll be happier today. It says your long term choices are a crown or death. The Psalms are filled with prayers asking God why the wicked are happy and the righteous suffer. The Bible doesn’t sugar coat life. It doesn’t pretend you can’t find immediate relief. It doesn’t pretend that everything will be okay right now if you just say the sinner’s prayer and abstain from the ways of the world. What it does do is make very clear where each choice leads. It equips you along the way to be steadfast under trial, until one day your good and faithful Father puts a crown on your head and welcomes you into eternal peace and prosperity.

When the rubber meets the road, we must choose to believe God more than we believe ourselves in terms of what is good for us, what will ultimately ease our burdens, and what will get us through the various trials bombarding us. It is not enough to believe in God, we must also believe Him.

All Truly Good Gifts Come From God

I taught this passage three years ago at a Women’s Breakfast at my church. At the time I didn’t really feel like I needed it. I mean I always need Scripture, but I wasn’t feeling tempted by the world, and I wasn’t at great risk for following the death trail outlined above. But that’s the thing about Scripture and hiding it in our hearts. I studied it, I understood it, I internalized it. And in this season, when I am facing the temptation to assimilate into the world of my unbelieving friends, to ease the burden with things that God explicitly says are not good for me or not in line with His law, God brought this truth to my heart and mind. Reminding me not to be deceived into thinking good can come from the things of this world. Reminding me that every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Count It All Joy

So in the end, I’ll count it all joy that I don’t have many happy posts to share. I’ll count it all joy that I am facing trials of various kinds, and I’ll continue to look toward my crown and the infinitely good and glorious Crown Giver instead of toward the measly baubles and fake jewels this world has to offer. I’ll believe God regarding the darkness and the gravity of this hour, but I won’t lose courage and I won’t lose heart, because I believe God that the testing of my faith is producing steadfastness, which produces character, and ultimately blessing. And perhaps even more poignantly, I believe him regarding the consequences if I don’t.

When trials come, God isn’t failing you, He’s preparing you for a blessing that far outweighs the blessing of a happy post. He’s preparing you for an eternally weighty reward. Take heart, friends, your trust in Him won’t be put to shame.