How can we understand when someone talks about joy and trials at the same time? I once heard someone talk about his loss in the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. He lost everything: his house, his two children, and his wife. He was the only person in the family who survived. How is it that this person could still talk about the favor of God when he had lost everything?
“I am a blessed person,” he said every day, “and I am happy despite everything.” He is blessed without a house to sleep in; he is blessed without any family. Where does this blessing and happiness come from?
James 1:2-3 says,
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
Our faith is our great source of happiness when we believe that God will never leave us alone.
Three days before the earthquake, this man was reading the book of Job in the Bible and thinking about Job’s situation. He never thought he would be facing a similar situation in just three short days. He wondered why he read this passage before the earthquake and wondered if God may have wanted to prepare him for what was to come.
If you find yourself in a situation like Job, what would you do? Would you still want to bless God’s name and keep praying in faith? Remember that Job regained everything he had lost (Job 42), but the only thing he kept alive was his faith. In all situations, our faith will be the only thing that will help us overcome difficulties. James 1:6-7 tells us:
“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord”.
For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Our happiness comes from our God, who is always by our side in all situations. Give glory to God anytime, anywhere, and for everything because He is the one who can turn the worst situation into a better one.
“Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy’’ (John 16:20).
If you find yourself in a situation like Job, what would you do? Would you still want to bless God’s name and keep praying in faith? Meditate on your answers and ask God to strengthen your faith in Him.
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