Trials and Trust in God’s Promised Working

James 1:2-8 

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

We face many trials of testing and temptation to work out our faith as they work on our reliance on God and His work and as we learn to hear, trust, and obey in our sanctification.  We know these pressing times are God’s way of completing us, of making us complete and more like Christ as we look to Him (2 Corinthians 3:18).  By His work in and through these hard and trying times, we find nothing more is necessary than Christ and His sustaining grace at work in us, so we learn patience in the process, resting in His sovereign grace, discipline, and love.  Therefore we should ask God continually for wisdom when we are unsure or when we falter, trusting it is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom (Luke 12:32) and all we need for it.  He holds back nothing necessary.  On our part, we must trust fully that He is willing and able to do these things (Philippians 2:13), not doubting His ability nor His desire to so work on our behalf and for our good in His glory.  If we doubt, we find only tempest-tossed seas of unrequited necessities as we are driven by our own desires that are unaligned with His or unobtained because we doubt His will or working.  If we falter thus in doubt’s waves, that storm will leave us with empty hands.  We dare not be double minded, not asking but trusting, or trusting but not asking or believing His sovereign goodness and grace prepared for each of His children whom He has called.