How Do We Get Through Trials?

This week's verse is James 1:12,

Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

It's rare that I challenge how professional Bible translators bring the Greek over into English. They're the experts, and it's appropriate to defer to their reasonable authority. However, this is one of those rare times where it's important.

What we need to look at is the word translated "Blessed." In Greek, it's 'makarios' (Μακάριος). It's the same word that Jesus uses in the Sermon on the Mount for the Beatitudes.

The problem is that when you read the verse as "God blesses those who endure trials" we get a confusing message. It's a message that 'sounds right' because it is true that God blesses those who endure trials! As this verse says, after we suffer for Jesus, God gives us the crown of life!

But at the same time, this way of understanding the verse creates a performance-based attitude toward God. We get this idea in our hearts: If we do a good job handling trials, then God will bless us. But if we're struggling to handle trials well? Then maybe God won't bless us!

A lot is at stake. If we don't get the translation and interpretation right, this verse can set us up to feel anxious and even afraid of God.

But of course, we can't just change the meaning of a word because we don't like the implications!

So why did I change my mind? Well, my understanding changed slowly, and only after studying how Dr. Jonathan Pennington rigorously explained how 'makarios' is used in both the Old Testament and the wider literature at the time the New Testament was written. After reflecting on his research, I'm convinced the better translation for 'makarios' is 'thriving.'

Therefore, the first issue we need to address is an accurate translation of this passage. I'd put it like this:

The one who endures trials is thriving [as a disciple of Jesus], because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Immediately, we can now see that James 1:12 makes much more sense.

Here's the question: How can we identify a thriving disciple of Jesus?

Here's the answer: By seeing someone who endures trials for their faith in a way that honors Jesus.

And what pulls them through the trial? The confident hope that God has

already promised us a crown of life.

Let's step back for a second and think about the problem of facing trials as a Christian.

When we face trials, we can see them in two fundamentally different ways.

The first way is the most common, and it's my default: this is awful. I hate suffering. I want my circumstances to improve as soon as possible. God, please take this trial away from me, immediately.

After all, who wants their faith to lead to suffering?

Let's step back even further. If you aren't a Christian, the world doesn't have many resources for handling trials. The 'common sense' wisdom falls short: work harder, try better, think smarter. Or do what it takes to avoid suffering in the first place. If suffering is inevitable, then grit your teeth and get through it as best you can.

One way or another, it comes down to self-reliance and self-improvement. Those are virtues, to be sure, but they don't address the core issue: when we're in a trial, we're facing a problem beyond our ability to solve.

If you've been in a real trial, you know that sugar-coated platitudes are worse than nothing at all. 'Trials" hardly begins to describe it. "Death battle with Satan" might feel more accurate.

So, should we add to the wearying burden of our trials the anxiety of hoping we do a good enough job to earn God's blessing? By no means! We should never add shame to suffering!

But as I've talked to thriving disciples of Jesus - who are, in fact, thriving as human beings - I've learned they have a completely different understanding of trials.

Here's what I've learned: they see trials as an opportunity to depend more on God, to imitate the example of Jesus, and to glorify God. And what stuns me is that they're thankful for what God is doing in them because of the trial.

At the same time, they are just as realistic as the rest of us: they know from firsthand experience that it's hard! Their bodies feel pain the same way we do. They don't like rejection any more than anyone else.

But it doesn't get to the core of them (or, if it does, it doesn't stay there).

So how do we become like them?

It's simple, but all-consuming: adopt the posture that James teaches us in this verse.

Instead of thinking that good circumstances are our goal, and trials are an impediment to our dreams, we need to see that God's crown of life is our goal, and trials are a means to draw closer to God in the meantime.

For thriving disciples of Jesus, this is the secret. They don't go through their trials alone—but in a dependent, wholehearted trust in God's love.

So, instead of seeing trials as a test that could result in God's blessing, they know they already have God's blessing. They are certain that God has got them covered no matter what keeps them thriving in the midst of suffering.

They say things like,

• "It's hard to suffer for following Jesus, but the good thing is, this trial is drawing me closer to Christ."

• "Wow, I must really be a threat to the forces of evil to get this pushback. Praise God for how he's changed me!"

• "God, I need you to deliver me. I know I can count on you."

• "I feel closer to Jesus than ever before, I'm so thankful that he cares for me."

Critically, this isn't a happy-shiny religious performance. It's who they are.

To put it plainly, thriving disciples have a rock-solid, all-in, 100% committed attitude toward God. So when trials come, they can endure them, stand the test, and ultimately, receive the crown of life that God has already promised them. They know that God has blessed them and will bless them — so they can handle whatever the forces of evil throw at them.

Do you have faith like this? I'm asking myself the same question. It's only until our faith is tested that we'll know for sure. In the meantime, we can ask ourselves this question: do I want God's crown of life more than anything else?

If the answer is yes, what's the proof that you're living for heaven?

Or if you're not sure, then what do you have that's better than God's promises?