Joyful Tests?

Do you have a fear of tests? When you were in school, did the thought of the upcoming test make your heart beat wildly, make your palms sweat, and cause a great vacuum bubble in your brain? Many people suffer from "testaphobia" -- the fear of tests. There was a guy named Bobby Chestnutt who had a bad case of "testaphobia" -- so much so that he came up with this list of reasons why he could not take tests:

They make you think (Bobby always said they made his brain hurt).
There are never any answers, only questions (how does THAT help you learn anything?).
You may give the wrong answer (Bobby said his teachers ALWAYS counted off for wrong answers).
You may not have an answer (therefore, the test is an incredible waste of time).
The worst part is that with tests you get a grade (Bobby always reminded me that while his grades were never good, they did have the virtue of being consistent).

Tests have many purposes -- the most obvious purpose is to prove your skill or mastery of a particular subject. Tests also show areas where you need to improve. While tests may be feared, they can also serve as confidence builders when you complete the test. Even if you fail the test, you realize that it was not the end of the world and you were able to get through it.

Life has many tests. The Bible speaks directly to the tests and trials that every person experiences. The reality of living in a fallen world with fallen people is that circumstances change, bad things happen, and tests are a certainty. The Christian is not immune to tests; anyone who has been a Christian for more than five minutes can vouch for this. In our text, James writes, "...when you fall into various trials..." (James 1:2, NKJV). Jesus echoes this same sentiment, "In this world, you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33, NKJV). So all of us will experience various trials and tests until our very last breath. The only person with no problems is a dead person, and only those who died trusting in the LORD Jesus Christ.

How then do we deal with this unpleasant certainty? How do we face up to our "testaphobia" in life's classroom?

Scripture Passage: James 1:2-4

Main Thought: In Christ, you can overcome the most troublesome tests with great joy when you persevere with confidence in the good that God will bring out of it.

Tests and trials cause much pain and agony but there is joy to be had in the midst of even the deepest suffering. (James 1:2)
Our confidence is always rooted in the goodness of God and His promise to bring about good in all things that happen to the Christian. (James 1:3)
Victory is ours, not when the problem is removed or even when the test is finally over, but as the test is endured by faith. (James 1:4)

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. (James 1:2, NKJV)

1. Tests and trials cause much pain and agony but there is joy to be had in the midst of even the deepest suffering. (James 1:2)

Does this mean we walk around with a stupid grin on our faces, "I'm fine, happy, totally fulfilled" when the house is on fire and the dog ran away? No, counting it all joy does not mean that we deny the reality of the pain we face. Trials and tests, by definition, cause all forms of agony, grief, and pain. James writes that we look to the effect of the trial and not the cause in order to find the joy.

What are the causes of tests or trials in our lives? One could point to stressful jobs, unruly children, chronic sicknesses, death of a loved one, and on and on. There is no end to the list we could make. During such a time in your life, what do you think about? Often we spend much of our time and mental motion looking at the cause of such a trial. Sometimes, we spend that time and mental motion longing for the end of the trial or its solution. Neither of these is the biblical prescription for dealing with a test or trial. There is no joy in either of these. Consider this:

If you dwell on the problem...

You will not be able to see past it to a solution.

You will find no joy and no hope in the problem itself.

This is what defeats the Christian going through a test of some sort.

You see, there is no hope to be found in all of this fallen world.

If you dwell on the solution...

"Think positive" you hear others tell you -- but the solution may not be forthcoming any time soon.

It may not be God's will to heal or remove the problem from your life.

Waiting on an unfulfilled solution (of your choosing) could shipwreck your faith because you begin to think that God doesn't care or that He is not powerful enough to deal with your problem.

Dwelling on an unfulfilled solution can bring depression and, even worse, a terrible emotional numbness.

It is perfectly OK to ask God to heal a sickness or to remove a problem -- many saints in the Bible and over time have done exactly that.

If that, however, is the only acceptable solution, you put yourself in the place of God -- many saints in the Bible and over time have done exactly that and found it to be destructive.

If you dwell on the good that will come from the trial...

Philippians 4:8-9 tells us to dwell on what is good and true and praise-worthy. What is always good and true and praise-worthy?

You cannot live in fairy land, ignoring the problem altogether. You can choose to dwell on the goodness and faithfulness of God whether in times of plenty or or great need.

Do this and experience joy in the midst of tears or great pain. Paul says that "...the God of peace will be with you" (Phil. 4:9, NKJV).

To count it all joy is part of His plan so it must be right and it must work. Many saints who have gone through horrific tests and trials or all sorts have testified that it does indeed work.

Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (James 1:3, NKJV)

2. Our confidence is always rooted in the goodness of God and His promise to bring about good in all things that happen to the Christian. (James 1:3)

It sounds simplistic to just say, "meditate on God's goodness" and all your problems go away. That is NOT what is being said. The pain of a sick child, an untimely death in the family, or a divorce is real and does not quickly fade away. But the supernatural joy of Jesus Christ is yours when you align your thoughts and prayers with His heavenly purposes. Just prior to the cross, Jesus said to His disciples:

Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. (John 16:22, NKJV)

What about all those bad things that happen? James says that you know the testing of your faith produces patience -- something very good to have. Paul notes that as one of the fruits of living a Spirit-filled life. (Gal. 5:22) If the testing of your faith produces patience, then what happens when you pray "God give me patience and give it to me NOW!"? It says that is God's will that you have patience and He will certainly work to develop patience in you. How will He do that? By tests and trials of various kinds. By the way, God will develop patience in you whether you pray for it or not BECAUSE it is His will for you in Christ!

The critical thing to remember during any test of faith is to be confident in the goodness of God. I found myself going back to this over and over again as I hear the news each day. God is good even when the world is not. Later in this chapter, James notes that "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17, NKJV). God is good and He never changes -- His goodness is a certain, universal, forever constant.

It is obvious, then, that a good God would never allow a test or trial in the life of one of His children that was not good for you. No more comforting verse can be found in this regard than in the book of Romans:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Rom 8:28, NKJV)

The Bible says that we know ALL things work together for good. A sovereign God is not surprised by your suffering. He does not cause evil but certainly permits and even uses various and sundry experiences in your life to mold and shape your faith. Even when you sin, God uses the consequences to bring about what is good in His eyes.

Tests and trials for the child of God are good even though they may not seem good to you at the time. God not only knows what you need but also what you can bear as you learn to lean on Him. (1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Cor. 4:7-9)

But let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:4, NKJV)

3. Victory is ours, not when the test is over or even if the problem is removed, but as the test is endured by faith. (James 1:4)

This verse tells us to not short-circuit the grace of God extended to us in this test. The verb translated "have" is a present, active imperative tense in the Greek. It means "to keep letting patience have" its perfect work. "Let patience have its perfect work" means that you continue to persevere through the test patiently for you know that God is good and is doing a good work in you. Such an attitude brings you into a mature faith, a complete Christian who can deal with whatever this old world may throw in your path.

But what would happen if you planted a seed in the ground, watered it, and then dug it up two days later? You would have only a seed. You must persevere by watering the seed and tending the soil carefully as it sprouts into a small plant. You must continue to nurture and protect the plant as it grows to maturity and bears fruit. Some plants -- like bamboo -- take years before they even sprout. You must water and tend the soil for seven years before the seed even breaks ground. It then proceeds to grow up to thirty feet in that first year!

This is a scary thought when we apply it to tests and trials of faith. It implies that some tests may last a long, long time. This is true in our Christian experience. Some tests last a lifetime. Can we persevere through these things?

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-- always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. (2 Cor 4:7-10, NKJV)

Because of God's mercy, He only permits those things in your life that He knows to be the PERFECT vehicle to help you grow in the grace and knowledge of Him. They will only last the perfect amount of time that you may be complete in faith, lacking nothing. So do not fear the test or the longevity of it:

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:38-39, NKJV)

Reflect on YOUR life: Is there a test or trial that seems hopeless for you? It was the famous British preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, who suffered daily throughout most of his life and ministry with a painful condition called gout. Here is what he wrote in his famous devotional:

There are some of [your] graces which would never be discovered if it were not for [your] trials. [Do you] not know that [your] faith never looks so grand in summer weather as it does in winter? Love is too often like a glow-worm, showing but little light except it be in the midst of surrounding darkness. Hope itself is like a star -- not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. Afflictions are often the black foils in which God [does] set the jewels of his children's graces, to make them shine the better. (Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, February 18, Morning, with language updates noted by brackets)

Your faith never shines so bright as it does when it is tested. It is said that the gold color on china begins as a dark liquid. Then the flame of the kiln scorches it off. The heat completely obliterates the color in the first few applications. But then it begins to glow with the brilliance of gold. That which seems a dark spot turns into a glittering sheen of color that will never rub off, and never fade away.

And God will never leave you in your time of trial or testing. He will walk through the kiln with you and give you the victory of persevering by faith in Him -- a faith that will not fade away. You can overcome the most troublesome tests with great joy when you persevere with confidence in the good that God will bring out of it. So, "Count it all JOY!"