Counting Trials as Joy Through Trusting Christ

Sep 20, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Brother Left at the Split Rail Fence

When darkness closes in and abandonment stings, God’s pursuit remains relentless. Trials often feel like being forgotten, yet Scripture insists even self-inflicted consequences don’t erase His faithfulness. Like a child stranded yet sought, believers are never beyond rescue. God’s compassion meets us in ditches of our own making, not to scold but to restore. His purpose in trials isn’t punishment but proximity. [22:20]

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4, ESV)

Reflection: When have you felt spiritually “left behind”? How might this trial be an invitation to experience God’s relentless pursuit of you?

Day 2: When the Mustang Climbs Out of the Ditch

Faith isn’t about avoiding ditches but discovering God’s grip in the skid. Trials strip illusions of control, forcing dependence on the One who steers through mud and chaos. Like a car miraculously finding traction, God engineers escapes that defy logic. His deliverance often comes mid-stride, not after we’ve parked our pride. Trust grows when wheels spin but grace intervenes. [46:18]

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. (Psalm 40:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: What current “ditch” have you been trying to escape through your own strength? How might surrender look different than resignation?

Day 3: Perseverance Isn’t About Sticking It Out for the Kids

Steadfastness isn’t grim endurance but active trust in Christ’s strength, not ours. Trials expose where we’ve confused stubbornness with sanctification. James’ brother Jesus didn’t carry the cross because He “had to” but because He loved. Perseverance rooted in duty crumbles; perseverance fueled by devotion transforms. God cares less about our staying power than our clinging posture. [40:49]

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame. (Hebrews 12:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: Where has your perseverance become performance? How might focusing on Christ’s joy reframe your current struggle?

Day 4: The Farmer Waits for Early and Late Rains

Patience isn’t passive waiting but active tending. A farmer doesn’t glare at seeds but trusts seasons. Trials are God’s cultivation, requiring us to dig hands into soil while heaven controls the weather. Impatience demands harvests; faith waters furrows with tears. Growth happens underground before it’s seen. [29:02]

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. (James 5:7-8, ESV)

Reflection: What “seed” have you planted that’s taking longer than expected to sprout? How can you actively tend it today without forcing growth?

Day 5: The Crown Promised to Those Who Love Him

Eternal rewards outlast earthly aches. The crown of life isn’t a trophy for grit but a testament to grace. Trials polish faith’s jewels, proving love’s authenticity. Like James mourning his crucified brother yet proclaiming resurrection, our sorrows become stories of how God writes glory through grit. [44:16]

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12, ESV)

Reflection: What earthly struggle feels most eternal right now? How might fixing your gaze on the “crown” reshape your endurance?

Sermon Summary

James writes like a man whose brother died on a cross. The book does not mess around, because a life lived to the glory of Christ has to get real about what happens when life gets hard. James opens with trials, steadfastness, patience, and the crown of life, then refuses to let anybody treat suffering like a strange interruption in the Christian life.

Trials come in more than one way. Some trials grow out of bad choices, sin, and consequences that have to be faced. Other trials land without warning: a diagnosis, a death, a job lost, a marriage coming apart. God remains present in both kinds of trouble. God does not forsake a child because that child made a mess, any more than a mother leaves her boy at the park because he wandered off.

James calls believers to count trials as joy, not because pain is fun, but because God is at work in it. Joy is not balloons, champagne, and pretending everything is fine. Joy is the settled confidence that God has hold of the situation, even when the situation hurts. The testing of faith produces perseverance, and perseverance is not merely hanging on for the kids or gritting teeth until something changes.

Steadfastness is faith locked in Jesus. Trials do not exist to prove how strong a person is; trials prove His strength. Christ uses dark roads, confusing choices, and ditches of every kind to teach His people to trust Him when they cannot see what is ahead. Faith comes to the end of the light and takes the next step, trusting God either to provide solid ground or give wings to fly.

James says steadfastness must have its full effect, making believers perfect and complete, lacking nothing. The crown of life belongs to those who remain under the test because they love God. Christ is enough, and no trial gets the last word over someone held by Him.

Patience becomes necessary because God’s work of maturing a life is rarely instant. God can heal in a moment, but God often remakes hearts over time. Trials call for a simple prayer: “Lord, this is gonna be tough. I need Your strength for me to hold on to You.” God remains the One who carries His people, gets them out of the ditch, and makes a way through what they cannot fix.

Key Takeaways

1. Trials are not proof of abandonment. God stays near when trouble comes from a person’s own bad choices and when trouble arrives through no fault of their own. Consequences may be real, painful, and costly, but consequences do not cancel God’s fatherly care. Christ does not leave His people sitting alone in the dark. [36:24]
2. Joy rests in God’s working hand. James does not call pain pleasant or ask believers to fake a smile. Joy sees beneath the circumstance and recognizes that God is doing something deep in the middle of it. Faith can be peaceful before the outcome changes because God has not lost hold of the situation. [35:21]
3. Trials prove Christ’s strength, not ours. Steadfastness is not stubborn self-reliance or merely surviving another hard season. Steadfastness is trust in Christ when the road ahead cannot be seen. God uses the test to make faith stable, unshakable, and willing to take the next step in the dark. [40:49]
4. Patience waits for God’s rescue. God can change circumstances instantly, but God often chooses to mature a heart slowly. Patience refuses the frantic search for lesser saviors when life falls apart. Christ remains the One who carries His people through the ditch and brings them out in His time.

## [49:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[21:24] - Opening James and Remembering a Brother
[25:19] - James Does Not Mess Around
[27:50] - Reading James on Trials and Steadfastness
[29:52] - The Wrong Idea About Trials
[31:40] - Two Kinds of Trouble
[35:06] - Counting Trials as Joy
[37:18] - Trials Produce Perseverance
[40:35] - Trusting Christ in the Dark
[43:39] - Perfect, Complete, Lacking Nothing
[47:51] - Patience and Waiting on Him

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

James 1:2-4
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” [27:50]

James 1:12
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” [27:50]

James 5:7-8
“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” [27:50]

James 5:10-11
“As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” [27:50]

Observation questions

According to James 1:2-4, what does the testing of faith produce, and what is steadfastness meant to produce in a believer’s life?
What two broad kinds of trials are described: trouble that comes from a person’s own choices and trouble that arrives without warning? What examples are given of each? [31:40]
What does the passage say is promised to the person who remains steadfast under trial, and how is that promise connected to loving God?
In James 5:7-11, what pictures and examples does James use to describe patience—especially the farmer, the prophets, and Job?

Interpretation questions

James commands believers to “count it all joy,” not because suffering is enjoyable, but because God is at work in it. What is the difference between pretending pain is fine and having settled confidence that God still has hold of the situation? [35:06]
How can a believer honestly face consequences for sinful or unwise choices while still trusting that God has not abandoned them? [36:06]
If steadfastness is faith locked in Christ rather than merely gritting one’s teeth and surviving, what might that kind of faith look like in a long, confusing hardship? [40:35]
James says the Lord’s purpose in Job’s suffering showed that He is compassionate and merciful. How can God’s compassion be trusted when His timing for relief or healing is slow? [47:51]

Application questions

Is there a current hardship that feels more like a consequence of a choice, or one that came without warning? What would it look like to bring that specific situation to God without hiding, blaming, or giving up? [36:06]
When life gets painful, what does the first response usually sound like: grumbling, fear, self-reliance, calling everyone else first, or prayer? What could change this week in that first response? [49:45]
Joy in trials is not balloons, champagne, or acting like nothing hurts; it is confidence that God is working. Where is it hardest right now to believe that God is doing something good and deep even though the circumstance is still hard? [35:27]
Trials prove Christ’s strength, not personal strength. In what area is there pressure to prove that everything can be handled alone? How might trusting Christ more openly change that? [41:10]
When the next step is dark and the outcome cannot be seen, what is one faithful next step that can still be taken—such as praying, confessing, asking for help, obeying a clear command of Scripture, or waiting instead of rushing? [42:22]
God often matures hearts over time rather than fixing every circumstance instantly. What part of life needs patient waiting right now, and how can the group help one another establish their hearts in Christ while they wait? [47:51]

Sermon Clips

76s

#FaithOverFear

“Trust him more. It's not about proving your strength. It's about proving his strength. That's what they're here for. Perseverance. That's a stable faith. That's an unshakable faith. That's a trust no matter what faith. I got a new brother sitting here today. Jason came by this week. This guy, fantastic story of what I'm talking about. a testimony that he shared of following God blindly. And just doing what God said made no sense. Boy's got more guts than I got. But he's right where God wants him to be, and we're gonna try to help him follow what God wants him to do.”

53s

#JoyInTheJourney

“And whatever it is, we're supposed to count it joy. Now I don't think he means jump up and down, drink champagne, blow up balloons, and hug your neighbor. I don't think so. I think what he's saying is, deep down in your heart, understand this trial is something that God is working and you can be happy about that. So it's not happy about the circumstance. It's not happy about what I gotta go through, but it's a peaceful that God's got me.”

56s

#GodNeverForsakes

“But she wasn't gonna forsake him because he made a mistake. Our savior doesn't either. Our father does not forsake us. And so we have to recognize there's a purpose, and that's what he said here in the book of James. There's a purpose, and the purpose is to produce. God's gonna do something in my life. He's gonna produce in me. And what's he produce? Scripture says, in the case of trials, they're gonna produce perseverance.”

71s

#StrengthInGod

“I've learned through the years now that when I find myself in a tough spot, a time when life's not going the way I predicted it would go, I've had some shocking losses in my life, but I've learned that the first step, I don't count a joy. I gotta be honest. I don't say, oh, goody. What I say is, lord, this is gonna be tough. I don't know if I can come through this. So I need your strength for me to hold on to you. I need you to carry me through. Pick me up. Get me out of the ditch.”

75s

#WaitOnGod

“So many times, we get in a tough time, and we start thinking about who we can call. Well, I'm I'm calling my sister. Okay. How'd that work for you the last time? But sure. Go ahead. I'm calling mom. Okay. Now for some of us, that's a little tough when mom's in glory. She's not taking calls right now. So who else have I got? I don't know. Take a guess. The guy that can deliver you out of anything? The guy who's got you in his watch care? So I say to you this morning, test, your trial, It's not about you. It's about waiting on him.”

50s

#TrustChrist

“trials produce trials produce perseverance. Now what are we talking about? We're not talking about sticking out something. We're not talking about we're gonna do it for the kids. No. It's not what we're talking about. We're talking about perseverance in Christ. I've got trials to make sure I trust Christ. I wait for him. James is saying, yeah, you may go through some tough times, but I got a clue for you. So did my brother. And we go through them so that you can trust him more.”

41s

#GodIsWithYou

“God is with you whether you bring it on yourself or he just brings it to you. Did you hear that? You don't think for one minute that because sin has brought a consequence on your heart that god has forsaken you? Nope. Not even close. In fact, if anything, he's like my mom who had to run back to that park to grab her little boy.”

50s

#Patience

“trials require patience. You can't expect God to do this kind of rework in your life, this maturing in your life. You can't imagine him or expect him to just snap a finger and fix you. Now he can snap a finger and heal you. He can snap a finger and give you something you didn't have three minutes ago. He can do at whatever pace he chooses, but what he requires of us is patience.”

42s

#TrustGodsPlan

“And there's been times in my life where it hadn't been about driving. It's been up mental life choices. It's been about tough circumstances, and god's always gotten me away out of the ditch. He makes ways perfect. In fact, Bible tells us that he works in all things, all things, to make him good, turn him outright. For all of us who love him, you can trust him.”

66s

#LifeTrials

“There are other trials we find ourselves in. We didn't have anything to do with it. For some reason, god's just allowed this to come upon us. That diagnosis call you got, that death in the family you have to face. Sometimes there are tough times laid upon us. Pink slipped on the job when you thought it was going good. When your spouse says, sit down. I need to talk to you. This ain't working. There are trials that come at us that sometimes they're just here. We didn't have anything to do with it, god's allowed them.”

71s

#Consequences

“Now there are two reasons, broad reasons. There could be smaller ones, but there's two basic reasons. We find ourselves under a trial. When we find ourselves being challenged in our faith, basically, there's two. we put ourselves there. We're facing a consequence of a bad choice. You want me to get real preachery on you? And so we we have to pay a consequence for sins. We made the wrong choice, and it's not gonna work out. God can't bless us in that state, stepped away from him. And so sometimes we find ourselves in a tough spot because we made a bad choice. We put ourselves there.”

58s

#NoComplaining

“We start mumbling, and didn't he say, don't mumble each other. Don't whine about it. But that's what we do. And some of us are really good at it. In fact, some of us get really disappointed if we don't have something to mumble about. So then we mumble that we don't have something to mumble about. How you doing? Well, I guess things seem to be going okay. Well, okay, Eeyore. Enjoy your life, dude. Listen. The first thing we gotta reconcile is there are trials in life, and we're to see a reason for them.”

81s

#GodMakesAWay

“And I'm driving down to the two lane, and I it's raining. I don't know what you know about Mustangs. Not good in the rain. And so I'm two lane, ditch on each side, and I'm thinking, you know, Rice, you ought to slow down. Road's a little wet. Off I go. Down into the ditch on the wrong side of the road. So I got my two wheels on the Mustang, and I just keep driving. I keep driving through the ditch. The wheels somehow are connecting the sides of the creek or some. I don't know how I do. But I just kept going, and I'm praying, Lord, I'm gonna need a way out of this ditch. And sure enough, that thing flattened out right at the road. I just went right up and on my way. One of the greatest moments of my driving career. I didn't do it. God did it.”

66s

#WorkplaceHumor

“Remember the days when you get a job, and some of you're sitting here, the fruit of your labors. Forty five years at the same employer. And you finally got out just in time to sit in the sand. Yeah. But today's world, the boss says, dude, I need you to move your lunch hour from 11:30 to noon. I'm out of here. I go to lunch 11:30. You sure you can't just move it to noon? Nope. Find you somebody else. My bed's still set up in mom's basement. I don't need you.”

56s

#LifeGroup

“Our life groups are not academic. And when people say, what do you mean by that? Well, I mean, for instance, if I'm teaching you about Joseph's code of many colors, you could do a bible study that would concern itself with how many colors. Who cares? The Bible doesn't even care because it just said many. our studies aren't like that. Our studies are, what does this mean to me? How does this change my life? And we get into it. So I encourage you to come be a part of a life group.”

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