James 1:3 – TRYING OF YOUR FAITH WORKETH PATIENCE
James 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
In the previous verse, James tells us that we are to count it all joy when we face temptations. The reason why we are to count it joy when we face temptation is because we know that it tests our faith and produces patience in us. Most of us do not like character building experiences. Most of us would prefer to just obtain character without the trials that have to come into our life in order to obtain character.
A wild horse will do you very little good. However, if you take the time to break the horse, the horse can soon become productive and can help earn its keep around the ranch. Does the wild horse enjoy the fact that it is now going to have to work for its food? Does the wild horse enjoy the fact that it is now going to have to bear a burden and take the rider where the rider wants to go rather than go where the horse wants to go when it wants to go there?
Too many times we would rather be the wild horse then to allow God to break us and make us useful for HIS kingdom. However, if God’s light is going to properly reflect through us, then HE needs to allow certain trials to enter into our life to test and us and try us so that HE might be glorified. It is not until the Lord is able to remove the worldly impurities from our life that our lives are ready to reflect the light of God.
As much as we do not like character building experiences, it is these character building experiences that enables the world to see us and see a difference. The world knows how the world reacts to difficult situations. When something bad happens, the world is quick to utter profane words and blame someone else for their problems. However, if you have allowed Christ to develop patience in you through the trying of your faith, when bad things happen to you, you will be able to praise God because you know that all things work together for HIS good.
We do not naturally like the thought of patience being a good thing. We would rather have the good things that God has promised us now. We love the story of how David at a young age was anointed king; however we quickly forget that David had to wait 13 years before he became king of Judah and another 7 years on top of that before he became king over all Israel.
How many times do you think David wondered if he actually would ever be king when he was staying just one step ahead of Saul? David’s faith was tried and it was during these difficult times that he turned to the Lord by writing Psalms. David understood that regardless of what was going on around him, he needed to be patient and wait on the Lord because it was God who would bring it all to pass.
God’s plans for our lives is often different then our plans for our lives. If left to ourselves, we will be like wild horses that go where we want when we want. However, our life will have very little purpose and what productivity will we ever really produce? God brings trials into our life to give us character. God has a much bigger plan for our life and if we patiently wait for HIM, HE will reveal HIS perfect plan for us which will be even greater than anything we ever imagined.
Trust the Lord with all your heart. Learn to give thanks for the things that God is doing in your life. You may wish that God would hurry up, but remember, God has HIS perfect timing for your life. Greater is HE that is in you then HE that is of this world. You must fully trust that God’s will is always done in God’s timing.