James is saying that an outward trial, rather than being a reason for unhappiness, can be a ground for “YOUR GREATEST JOY.” That sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Sometimes you read something in the Bible and you say to yourself, “If I had read this anywhere else, I wouldn’t have believed it.” YET THE WORD OF GOD IS TRUE! Let me illustrate it for you: Several years ago Pastor Lloyd John Ogilvie, in his book titled, “Drumbeat of Love”, tells how he underwent the worst year of his life. His wife had undergone five major surgeries, plus radiation and chemotherapy, several of his staff members had departed, large problems loomed, and he was so discouraged. But he wrote: “The greatest discovery that I have made in the midst of all the difficulties is that I can have joy when I can’t feel like it—artesian joy. When I had every reason to feel beaten, I felt joy. In spite of everything, [God] gave me the conviction of being loved and the certainty that nothing could separate me from him. It was not happiness, gush, or jolliness but a constant flow of the Spirit through me… JOY IS ALWAYS THE RESULT OF THAT.”
Whenever waves of doubt and concern threaten to overcome you in times of trouble, remember that GOD IS YOUR SOLID ROCK, and that the trials can serve a purpose, to prove and improve your faith and to give you an attitude of joy.
by Corville Peters
