For 36 years my husband flew commercial airplanes for a living. Prior to that he flew jets in the Navy. The pace of that life had a certain rhythm to it. We never knew his schedule until the 15^th of the month prior. That was tricky to say the least! But another part of the schedule involved recurrent training. Every nine months he had to return to Delta’s training center in Atlanta for full flight simulator training and ground school. I always knew it was coming when the big black aircraft manuals come out for study sessions. In addition, every quarter pilots have to complete an online training module and are subject to in-person line checks with trained observers. Very few industries regularly test their employees to this extent. Does it give you comfort to know that your pilot has passed so many tests?

In our passage today, James talks about the positive aspects of being tested. James was the half-brother of Jesus, who led the church in Jerusalem. While not a believer in Jesus’ lifetime, (is that a sibling thing?) James converted after a post resurrection appearance recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:7. His letter was written to the early Jewish Christians who were scattered beyond the borders of Isreal. It focuses on maintaining a living faith during trials and temptations. 

James 1 (Common English Bible)

² My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy. ³ After all, you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ Let this endurance complete its work so that you may be fully mature, complete, and lacking in nothing.⁵ But anyone who needs wisdom should ask God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without a second thought, without keeping score. Wisdom will certainly be given to those who ask.⁶ Whoever asks shouldn’t hesitate. They should ask in faith, without doubting. Whoever doubts is like the surf of the sea, tossed and turned by the wind. ⁷ People like that should never imagine that they will receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ They are double-minded, unstable in all their ways.

⁹ Brothers and sisters who are poor should find satisfaction in their high status. ¹⁰ Those who are wealthy should find satisfaction in their low status, because they will die off like wildflowers. ¹¹ The sun rises with its scorching heat and dries up the grass so that its flowers fall and its beauty is lost. Just like that, in the midst of their daily lives, the wealthy will waste away. ¹² Those who stand firm during testing are blessed. They are tried and true. They will receive the life God has promised to those who love him as their reward.

We notice that James started by affirming that tests happen to all of us and moves quickly into language about finding the joy in those tests. This is an amazing concept for anyone who has ever endured a test of any kind, yet it accurately pinpoints the reality of the Christian walk. Endurance leads to our maturity of faith. Faith is tested by trials, not produced by them. In that way, trials reveal the actual depth of our faith. James encouraged us to seek wisdom when tested, reminding us that God is happy to give wisdom to those wise enough to ask. We don’t seek knowledge in these moments, as knowledge is understood to be simply raw information and dry facts. Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge in appropriate and life-giving ways.

James’ words about doubt may sound harsh, especially to those who appreciate the kind of questioning that Thomas went through to deepen his own faith. But in James’ case, it is a matter of intention. The unbelief of doubters meant that they asked God for things with no foundation, trust, or belief, as though God was a Magic 8 Ball. Such double-mindedness quickly passes away like the flower in the fields. 

Are you being tested right now? Find joy in knowing that God is producing the patience and wisdom of mature faith in you. Stand firm!

Tried and Tested