Daily Devotional

Joyful

by Paula Leary on July 31, 2021

"Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance, leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed in your faith, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4 (AMP)

Life very seldom “goes my way”. There seems to be endless challenges and difficulties I face. I am learning that God is a God of process, and our perseverance is a gift that is only received through trials. I have often wondered how we are to “consider it joyful“ when we are experiencing difficulties and what is so great about perseverance anyway. I am learning what a gift it is to have the resolve to fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith, the One who gave His life for me and is preparing an eternal home for me.

Hebrews 11:1 says that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Perseverance is faith in action. Trial after trial, He strengthens us with a little more perseverance which in turn strengthens our faith until it is no longer the trial that is our focus, but instead our eyes are on our amazing God who wants to reveal His love to us and change us from the inside out. Then we can rise above our circumstances and light the way for those buried under theirs

In November of 2018, a devastating situation forced me to sell the home I had owned for over 20 years. I needed to find a rental for myself, my daughter, and our two dogs. The new owners allowed me to rent back my former home for 4 weeks after the closing date which meant I had to be out by January 7th. The hunt for a new home to rent was daunting. I searched for over 3 weeks, but I still had no promising prospects. God assured me He would provide something special for me, but nothing was happening, my time was growing short, and I was growing weary. I forced myself to focus on God's promise instead of my problem. I told everyone I could that I was looking for a rental home, and I knew God would provide one for me. The majority of my heart and mind believed it, but I still had nagging doubts. I call it the 80-20 rule. Eighty percent faith and twenty percent doubt which always reminds me of the story in Mark 9:20—24. The father of a possessed boy asks Jesus if He can do anything to help his son. Jesus responded saying, “If You can? All things are possible for those who believe,” The father then says, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

I was two weeks away from having to move when my co-worker informed me that her daughter had just purchased a home and was moving out of the home she was renting. I immediately went to the management company, which happened to be run by a woman I went to church with who knew me and was able to speed up the normal 30-day process to a 10-day turnover. I could go on and on about the miracles that unfolded after that, but I will just state the fact that God is faithful, and He keeps His promises. They just never look like we think they should or happen in our time frame.

I recently heard this saying: “you can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore until you decide to be happy.” We can be strong and courageous because our God loves us, and He is faithfully preparing the path before us that leads to a spectacular, eternal sanctuary filled with His glory. Knowing how much He loves us, that He will keep His promises to us, and that He will never leave us or forsake us, gives us the perseverance to walk life’s trial-laden path with joy.

Paula Leary is the Executive Director of Directions Medical in Stockton and Lodi. This is one of the mission agencies the Lincoln Presbyterian Church partners with and supports.

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