Under Pressure

“We remain under the pressure, realizing that something is being squeezed into our soul: perseverance. And perseverance is the gateway to developing character.”

Life is not easy. Things break. People disappoint us. Sickness comes in. James makes an unusual statement to Christians facing hard times. He writes, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:2).

When we face a trial, most of us lose our joy. We complain, grumble, or get sad. Maybe we ask, “Why is this happening? When will it end?” But James says that, as believers, we are to have a different perspective.

Whatever trial we are facing, we are to say, “I’m going to take this trial with joy because I know that this trial has a purpose in my life. God will bring good out of it.” James is telling us that our circumstances should not control our contentment. They should not dictate whether we have joy.

Notice that James does not say “if” we have trials, he says “when” we do. Life is a sequence of trials, difficult circumstances that test our faith. Sometimes we bring trials on ourselves. Sometimes the reason is that we live in a broken, fallen world. But we can consider these things with joy because we know that God can bring good out of the bad.

I love the word perseverance. In the Greek this is a combination of two words hypó, which means “under” and méno which means “to remain.” When we walk through trials, we are told to persevere or “remain under” the pressure. Perseverance is the ability to do what’s right, even when it’s hard, and not lose your joy. This is not passive, like waiting in a long checkout line. It’s also not patience necessarily. We remain under the pressure, realizing that something is being squeezed into our soul: perseverance. And perseverance is the gateway to developing character.

Ultimately our faith is not in our circumstances, but in God. Verse 12 of chapter 1 says, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial.” We are able to keep our joy, because our ultimate fulfillment comes from who God is. And we become stronger, more joyful, more faith filled. We understand God and His Word more. Why? Because perseverance builds maturity in our faith. Don’t waste your trial. Squeeze everything you can out of it. And when it is over you can say, Thank You, Lord, for giving me the power to endure.