My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations…

— James 1:2

Peter, as well as James, tells us that we should not be amazed when the fiery trials come upon us. It should be expected that our faith would be tried by fire that it might come out as pure gold. Therefore, God puts us through these trials of fire, that we may be sanctified and refined.

Christ looks into our hearts. Is your heart troubled this day? Is it filled with anxieties, with insoluble problems? Christ, indeed, empathizes with you. Not only does He feel your trouble, He alone is sufficient and adequate to deal with it. He has promised that He will turn all things together for our good.

There is no one who does not face troubles in this world. “But man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward,” as the saying goes, and this is true. We don’t get through this “valley of tears” without learning why it is so named. But Christ is there with us. He has promised, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). He is right here with us. He will see us through all our trials.

Question to ponder:
Have you ever looked back at a trial and understood why you could “consider it pure joy”?