James 1:2-4

In trying out the idea of life verses with the guys at our church’s Tuesday noon Men’s Lunch, they were more than willing to share some of the verses that had become the anthems for their lives. One of our regular participants shared how a scripture helped him face some of life’s more challenging moments:

² Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4

A true life verse can give us comfort and focus even (and especially) during tough times.

The old song about the thorns in the rose garden is a reminder that life isn’t always smooth sailing.

When our faith is tested, when we don’t get the things that we hope and pray for, when God’s plan doesn’t seem to be going the way we had mapped things out, we get to choose our response. We can abandon faith, or we can ask if our reliance on God might actually be growing deeper and more steadfast.

Like fire purifying gold, trials may just cause us to cling more tightly to the God who made us.

Prayer

Help me, Loving God, to count it joy when I meet various trials, knowing that Your steadfast presence will help my tested faith to be steadfast and strong. Let me be more perfect and complete, lacking in nothing, as I walk the path of discipleship with my Lord and Savior Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.