Listen up, little ones
Listen for the word faith.
Reading
James 1:1–11—Profiting from Trials
Keys for kids
- We all have trials.
- Trials are hard.
- We can find joy in trials, by faith.
Questions
- Why is it hard to find joy in trials?
- How can we find joy in trials?
- What will God give us, if we ask?
Notes
(See last page for authors. Today’s notes are from a commentary on James by Gordon Keddie)
Few statements can be more calculated to raise the eyebrows than this invitation to what looks like a species of masochism. It is one thing to believe that some disaster may be a so-called ‘blessing in disguise’; it is quite another to regard it with joy! The standard heroic response to trials is to keep a ‘stiff upper lip’ or, in the USA, to invoke the spirit of the pioneers: ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going.’ But ‘pure joy’? This makes the mind boggle. …
What is this ‘pure joy’? And how is it to be derived from the cauldron of affliction? Suppose we think of our life experience as a ledger in which we keep accounts. Some items are entered in the credit column, others on the debit side. Obviously, we naturally see our tribulations as negative entries. But it need not be that way! … Trials will always come in on the debit side. We will always tend to say, ‘Why is this happening to me? What did I do wrong? When will it ever end?’ and the like. We will naturally be tempted to anger, frustration and despair. …
What James is saying is that as an act of faith we must put these trials in the credit column. That does not mean uttering a glib ‘Praise the Lord anyway’ and attempting to put it all in the past. And it doesn’t mean smiling the pain away. That just won’t happen. … The point is that real pain and distress can be turned into occasions of joy by faith that looks to Jesus Christ and we can come to see that the Lord is using that distress to draw us into a closer relationship with him.
Swedish Method questions
Praise
Psalm 46c, 34a
Prayer
- Ask the Lord to help you count trials as a real joy.
- Pray for the preparation for preaching God’s word this Sunday.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.