Wisdom in the Midst of Trials
Notes
Transcript
Handout
James 1:2-5
Everyone wants wisdom when life is calm, but it’s when the storms come that we find out how much wisdom we really have.
It’s easy to believe God is good when the sun is shining and everything is going our way.
But what about when the doctor’s report is bad?
When the job ends?
When a loved one walks away?
When the prayer we’ve prayed for years seems unanswered?
Those are the moments that test whether our faith is built on feelings or on truth.
James was writing to believers who had been scattered because of persecution.
They had lost homes, jobs, family connections, and even their safety.
And yet, the very first command James gives them is this: “Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.”
What a strange thing to say to suffering people!
But James understood something we often forget—that trials are not random accidents.
They are divine appointments.
Trials are not meant to destroy our faith, but to develop it.
They are the laboratory where God produces endurance, character, and spiritual maturity.
And that process requires wisdom—the kind of wisdom that helps us see beyond the pain to the purpose.
As we study this passage, we will see that wisdom doesn’t remove the trial, but it reveals what God is doing through it.
There’s a story of a silversmith who was once asked how he knows when the silver is fully refined.
He replied, “When I can see my reflection in it.”
That’s how God works through our trials.
He allows the heat, not to burn us, but to purify us—until He sees His image reflected in our lives.
So today, from James 1:2–4, we will see three truths that teach us how to walk wisely through life’s difficulties.
We’ll look at the purpose of trials, the perspective we need in trials, and the practice of wisdom that sustains us through them.
I. The Purpose of Trials
I. The Purpose of Trials
James begins by reminding us that trials are not random accidents but purposeful instruments in the hands of a wise and loving God.
He writes, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
The word “temptations” refers to testings—circumstances that stretch and strengthen our faith.
These trials are not designed to destroy us but to develop us.
They are not punishment from God but preparation for what He has planned.
A. Trials Are Inevitable
A. Trials Are Inevitable
James does not say if you fall into trials but when.
Every believer will face times of testing because we live in a broken and fallen world.
Even those who walk closely with God are not exempt from hardship.
Peter echoed this same truth in 1 Peter 4:12, saying,
12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
We should not be surprised when trials come.
They are part of the normal Christian experience.
Jesus told His disciples in John 16:33,
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
The presence of trials does not mean the absence of God—it often means He is doing His most meaningful work in us.
When God allows pressure, it is not to push us away but to press us closer to Himself.
The believer who understands this truth can face adversity without despair, because he knows that God has a purpose in every pain.
B. Trials Are Instrumental
B. Trials Are Instrumental
James says that “the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
That word worketh means it accomplishes something; it produces endurance.
God uses trials to refine our faith and strengthen our spiritual muscles.
Romans 5:3–4 says,
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
In other words, trials aren’t wasted by God—He is working for us, not against us.
They are like the furnace that purifies gold, burning away the impurities so that only what is valuable remains.
Faith that is never tested cannot be trusted.
It is in the furnace of affliction that God shapes the believer into maturity.
Remember Joseph in the Bible?
He was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, and thrown into prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
Yet years later, when God raised him to power, Joseph could say to those same brothers,
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Joseph learned that the painful seasons were actually the preparation for God’s greater purpose.
What others meant for harm, God used for holiness.
And that is still true for every believer today.
God never wastes a trial.
He uses suffering to teach us submission, hardship to grow our humility, and delay to develop our dependence on Him.
Every trial we face has divine intention behind it.
The wise believer does not simply ask, “Why me?” but rather, “Lord, what are You trying to teach me through this?”
That is how wisdom transforms trouble into training.
Trials become the classroom of faith where God teaches His children to trust Him more deeply and to reflect His character more fully.
So it’s important how we look at these trials.
Look at them with wisdom.
II. The Perspective in Trials
II. The Perspective in Trials
James tells us to “count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.”
That statement may sound unreasonable at first.
How can anyone rejoice in the middle of hardship?
The answer is not that we find joy in the pain itself but in the purpose behind it.
Wisdom gives us the right perspective—a way of seeing trials through the lens of faith rather than feelings.
When we understand what God is doing, our attitude changes from despair to endurance, and from frustration to faith.
Why? Because we begin to realize that…
A. Joy Comes from Understanding
A. Joy Comes from Understanding
The word “count” means to evaluate or to consider carefully.
It is an accounting term that means to take spiritual inventory—to look at your trial and deliberately decide how you will view it.
James is not calling for a fake smile but for a faith-filled mindset.
Wisdom tells us to view life’s difficulties as opportunities for God to work rather than obstacles in His way.
Paul echoed this truth in 2 Corinthians 4:17
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
Joy comes when we understand that our trials are temporary but their results are eternal.
You cannot always change your circumstances, but you can choose how you interpret them.
Warren Wiersbe once wrote, “Outlook determines outcome, and attitude determines action.”
The believer who views trials through the eyes of faith will find joy even in the midst of tears, because he knows that God is doing something bigger than the moment.
B. Endurance Comes from Trusting
B. Endurance Comes from Trusting
James says, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
The word patience here means endurance—the ability to remain steadfast under pressure.
Trials are not meant to break us down but to build us up.
They train our spiritual muscles to hold up under the weight of life.
Wisdom teaches us to trust the process even when we do not understand it.
Faith is not believing that everything will go our way; it is believing that everything will go God’s way.
Job is one of the greatest examples of endurance.
He lost his family, his health, and his wealth, yet he declared, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.”
Later, in Job 23:10, he testified,
10 But he knoweth the way that I take: When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
Endurance grows when we choose to trust the character of God even when we cannot trace the plan of God.
The trial that tests your faith today can become the testimony that strengthens your faith tomorrow.
C. Maturity Comes from Submission
C. Maturity Comes from Submission
James continues, “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
That word let is crucial—it means to allow, to yield, to cooperate with what God is doing.
Wisdom submits to God’s process rather than resisting it.
The goal of trials is not simply survival but spiritual maturity.
God desires His children to be “perfect and entire,” meaning complete and whole—believers who reflect the character of Christ.
Like clay in the potter’s hands, we must stay yielded while He shapes us.
If we resist, we remain unfinished; if we yield, we are formed into something beautiful and useful.
Isaiah 64:8 says,
8 But now, O Lord, thou art our father; We are the clay, and thou our potter; And we all are the work of thy hand.
The wise believer does not pray merely for deliverance from the trial but for development through the trial.
We want God to develop us, mature us in the faith, so we can learn to serve Him better and fail Him less.
When we stop fighting against God and start trusting His hand, we discover that patience produces maturity, and maturity reveals wisdom.
God is not trying to make life easy; He is trying to make us holy.
And when we see our trials through that perspective, we can count them all joy, not because they feel good, but because they do good.
That is why we want to all…
III. The Practice of Wisdom in Trials
III. The Practice of Wisdom in Trials
Wisdom is not just knowing what God says the truth about trials—it is putting that truth into action.
It’s one thing to understand that God has a purpose in our pain; it’s another to live with faith and peace while the pain continues.
Wisdom is the bridge between what we know and how we live.
It enables us to respond to life’s difficulties with calm confidence instead of fear and frustration.
James points us toward three wise responses to every trial we face.
So the first practice of the Believer who uses Wisdom in Trials
A. Ask God for Wisdom
A. Ask God for Wisdom
In verse 5 James writes
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
The first practice of wisdom in trials is prayer—honest, humble asking.
When life doesn’t make sense, God invites us to come to Him for direction.
He doesn’t scold us for not knowing what to do; He promises to give wisdom generously.
True wisdom doesn’t come from looking within ourselves but from looking up to God.
Proverbs 2:6 says,
6 For the Lord giveth wisdom: Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
When we pray for wisdom, we are asking God to align our perspective with His purpose.
Solomon understood this when he prayed,
9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
God answered that request, and He still answers it today.
The wise believer makes prayer his first response, not his last resort.
The second practice of the Believer who uses Wisdom in Trials
B. Apply God’s Word
B. Apply God’s Word
Wisdom that is asked for but never applied will not help us in the storm.
Psalm 119:105 says,
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.
In times of confusion, Scripture becomes the believer’s compass.
When emotions pull us in every direction, God’s Word steadies us in the truth.
Trials often tempt us to act impulsively or to listen to the world’s advice, but wisdom keeps us grounded in what God has already said.
Jesus illustrated this truth at the end of the Sermon on the Mount.
He said, Matthew 7:24-25
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
When the rain came and the floods rose, that house stood firm.
It is not hearing the Word but doing the Word that anchors us when the storms come.
Daniel is a perfect example.
Long before he faced the lions’ den, he had purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.
When the test came, his decision had already been made.
The believer who fills his heart with Scripture in calm seasons will have strength to stand firm in the hard ones.
The third practice of the Believer who uses Wisdom in Trials
C. Abide in God’s Presence
C. Abide in God’s Presence
Isaiah 26:3 promises,
3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee.
Peace in trials is not found in the absence of trouble but in the presence of God.
Jesus came walking toward His disciples on top of the water.
When Peter saw Him, he wanted to try it too.
Peter asked if he could walk to Him.
Jesus said Come on!
So Peter stepped out of the boat.
And when Peter walked on the water, he was just fine as long as his eyes were on Jesus.
The moment he looked at the waves, he began to sink.
The same is true for us.
If we focus on the storm, fear will overtake us; but if we focus on the Savior, faith will sustain us.
Wisdom teaches us to keep our hearts anchored in who God is, not in what we feel.
Psalm 46:1 reminds us,
1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
The wise believer learns to rest in that truth when everything else seems uncertain.
The practice of wisdom, then, is not complicated—it is consistent.
Ask God for wisdom.
Apply His Word daily.
Abide in His presence continually.
When we live this way, wisdom turns our trials into testimonies and our burdens into blessings.
It doesn’t remove every storm, but it steadies us in the middle of them.
Conclusion
Conclusion
We’ve learned today that wisdom does not shield us from trials—it shapes us through them.
James reminds us that trials have a purpose, a perspective, and a practice.
Their purpose is to strengthen our faith.
Their perspective is to teach us joy through understanding.
And their practice is to draw us closer to God in dependence and obedience.
When we see life through that lens, we realize that even the hardest moments can become the holiest classrooms.
God never wastes pain.
Every difficulty we face is another opportunity for Him to display His grace and for us to grow in wisdom.
If we let Him, He will use what hurts us to help us, what breaks us to build us, and what burdens us to bless us.
Trials are not the enemy of wisdom—they are the environment where wisdom grows best.
When our hearts are humble and our eyes are fixed on Christ, we can say with confidence that “the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
Just like Job, When everything was taken from him—his family, his wealth, his health—he said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
He didn’t say that because he enjoyed suffering, but because he knew his Redeemer lived.
That’s wisdom.
It’s trusting the heart of God even when you cannot trace the hand of God.
A well known hymn writer, Horatio Spafford, knew that kind of wisdom firsthand.
He lost his four daughters when their ship sank crossing the Atlantic.
When he sailed across to meet his grieving wife, the captain pointed out the spot where the tragedy had occurred.
And there, in the midst of unimaginable pain, Spafford penned these words:
When peace like a river
attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll,
Whatever my lot,
Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
That is not the voice of comfort—it is the voice of wisdom.
It is the calm assurance that God’s plan is still good even when life feels impossible.
So, what do we do when trials come?
We ask for wisdom instead of explanations.
We trust God’s timing instead of demanding our own.
We rest in His presence instead of running from His purpose.
And through it all, we discover that wisdom doesn’t make life easy—it makes life stable.
Because when your life is built on the Rock, no storm can shake what God has made secure.
As Jesus said in Matthew 7:24–25,
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
My Friend, the rains will come.
The winds will blow.
But if your life is built on the wisdom of God and the foundation of Christ, you will stand firm.
The same storms that shake others will strengthen you.
The same pain that breaks others will build you.
God does not waste our pain—He uses it to shape us into the likeness of His Son.
And that truth brings us directly to the Lord’s Table.
Because no one demonstrated wisdom in suffering more perfectly than Jesus Christ.
He faced the greatest trial the world has ever known—the cross.
He endured betrayal, mockery, and agony, yet through it all, He submitted to the Father’s will.
He trusted the plan of God even when it led through the valley of death.
At Calvary, wisdom and love met in perfect harmony.
The cross shows us that God can bring victory out of what looks like defeat.
It reminds us that suffering can lead to redemption and that brokenness can become the channel of blessing.
When Jesus took the bread and said, “This is my body, which is broken for you,” He was teaching us that there is purpose in the pain.
When He took the cup and said, “This cup is the new testament in my blood,” He was declaring that through His trial, salvation would come to all who believe.
As we prepare our hearts for communion, remember this: the same wisdom that guided Christ through His suffering now guides us through ours.
The same grace that carried Him to the cross now carries us through every burden we face.
The Lord’s Table reminds us that our Redeemer understands our trials because He has already walked through them.
And through His broken body and shed blood, He gives us strength to endure, hope to persevere, and grace to grow.
So as we come to the table today, come with hearts full of gratitude.
Come remembering that wisdom in the midst of trials begins and ends at the cross.
Come humbly, confessing any sin that stands between you and the Savior.
Come joyfully, knowing that Christ’s suffering has secured your peace.
And come worshipfully, because one day, all our trials will be over, and we will sit at His table in glory, where faith will become sight and sorrow will be no more.
I’d like to ask the gentlemen to come forward that are helping us today with the Communion.
