MARYBETH MCGEE | GUEST

I wept quietly, hoping no one would notice, as I sat among our church family at the annual Christmas concert. I had never heard the song before, but the first line was like a sucker punch after many years of trials.

This is the time of year when the old familiar songs begin to echo through the air and you hear the call “O come, all ye faithful, joyful, and triumphant.” But what if you are entering this Advent season feeling more like the lyrics of a not as well-known Christmas song by Sovereign Grace Music, O Come, All You Unfaithful?

“O come, all you unfaithful
Come, weak and unstable
Come, know you are not alone
O come, barren and waiting ones
Weary of praying, come” [1]

I had experienced much of what those lyrics described. I felt unfaithful, weak, and unstable. Especially after nearly a decade of infertility genetic testing confirmed that God had knit a forever barren womb into my DNA. I was also weary of praying for a foster care placement that would result in adoption. This was followed by more waiting, only to then become even more weary of praying for an answer that would solve the many challenges that come with raising children with ever increasing special needs. Trials of so many kinds had washed over the bow of our family’s little boat of life, like waves on an unpredictable sea. And yet, James had the audacity to tell us that our trials should be counted as joy?

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4)

It sounds like a solid plan: Face the trials, keep the faith, be made steadfast, perfect and complete. And yet, I felt unfaithful, weary, bitter, broken. As we read the first chapter of James, it seems he may have anticipated that choosing joy in the midst of our trials would not be an easy task. We may be tempted to have one of those “if, then” moments. If I pray through these trials and read God’s Word, then He’ll have to hold up whatever I have decided is His end of the bargain. James assures us that is not the case; rather, our trials cause our faith to undergo examination. But it isn’t a pass or fail kind of test. It’s the kind of testing that reveals all the areas of our faith where we may have built on something other than the Rock of Ages. Joy is the result of knowing there is a greater purpose at work.

The Messy Middle

The verses in the middle of this chapter are hard to read and accept. We must confront our own foolishness and lack of wisdom. Unbelief and doubts may cause us to be tossed about, double minded, and unstable. Yet James doesn’t stop there. He reminds us of the correct posture of humility, our own mortality, and the origin of much of our resistance to the Lord’s testing of our faith.

How about you? When trials come, where do you feel it most? A loss of control? A lack of resources, companionship, security, or comfort? Does the trial threaten something that has grown to hold a place in your heart that it was not intended to occupy? We might find ourselves asking questions like: Why me? How could God do this? Has He forgotten me? How will I get through this? What will I do without this person or thing? What if He never answers my prayers? How can I be faithful, joyful, and triumphant?

James Can Relate to Our Struggle

James’ rebuke is lovingly encircled by encouragement and from someone who can relate. After all, he was the brother of Jesus. We can imagine he had similar questions following Jesus’ crucifixion. He may have wondered, “what now?” Yet that’s not where the story ends for James. Jesus rises from the grave and James sees that all the things he couldn’t understand suddenly makes sense. James’ words about trials encourage us because he too, like all of us, was likely once weak, broken, and bitter. And yet, also like us, his faith came through no work of his own. Jesus did all the work. The rest of that song, O Come All You Unfaithful, reminds us of what God has done:

So come, though you have nothing
Come, He is the offering
Come, see what your God has done
Christ is born for you

As we approach the manger this Advent season with what may only be a mustard seed sized speck of faith, let us remember that we are God’s beloved, His chosen. Jesus did not come for those who were already steadfast in their faith. He gave everything for us, so that we would have the Spirit within us who enables us to choose joy in the midst of our trials. As the Spirit does His work, our faith grows and thrives, that we might “be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” We can come, joyful and triumphant, because we belong to Him. Whatever the trial, we count it as joy because it makes us more like Him. Our joy is not found in the trials, but in Him.

[1] https://sovereigngracemusic.com/music/songs/o-come-all-you-unfaithful/

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