By Dr. Robert C Crowder
Reading:
Habakkuk 3:17-19 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.
James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
1 Peter 1:6-9 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Reflection:
Joy in trials may sound like a contradiction in terms. How can we rejoice when facing difficulty, pain, or loss? The world’s definition of joy depends entirely on circumstances: when things go well, we’re happy; when things go badly, we’re miserable. But biblical joy operates on an entirely different principle. It is not the absence of suffering but the presence of faith. Habakkuk surveyed total devastation: no crops, no fruit, no flocks, no herds; complete economic collapse. Yet in the face of catastrophic loss, he declared, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Centuries later, James and Peter echoed this same truth to suffering believers. James opens his epistle with a command that seems impossible: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” Peter writes, “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now… ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.” This is not a suggestion or a lofty ideal for super-saints. It is an imperative for every believer, grounded in the character of God and the purposes He is accomplishing through our trials. From Habakkuk to James to Peter, the message is consistent: joy in trials is possible—not because circumstances improve, but because God remains faithful.
The word “count” is deliberate. It is an accounting term; hegeomai in Greek, meaning to consider, to reckon, to evaluate. James is not telling us to manufacture false emotions or pretend we feel happy when we don’t. He is telling us to think rightly about our trials, to calculate their true value from God’s perspective. When we encounter various trials; the word “divers” means many-colored, varied, diverse, we are to assess them not by their immediate pain but by their ultimate purpose. This requires faith. It requires looking beyond what we see and feel to what God is doing behind the scenes.
The reason for this joy is clear: “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” Trials are not random, meaningless suffering. They are divine tools for spiritual formation. The word “trying” refers to the testing or proving of faith, like metal refined in fire to remove impurities. God does not test our faith because He is uncertain of its genuineness; He knows our hearts perfectly. He tests our faith to reveal its genuineness to us and to others, and to refine it into something stronger, purer, and more enduring.
The goal is patience, hupomone in Greek, which means more than passive waiting. It means steadfast endurance, the ability to remain under pressure without collapsing, the strength to keep going when everything in us wants to quit. This is not natural human stubbornness or mere grit. This is supernatural perseverance produced by the Holy Spirit in those who trust God through difficulty. And notice the progression: “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” God is not interested in our comfort. He is committed to our completeness. He wants us mature, whole, lacking nothing in spiritual character. And that kind of growth requires trials.
Peter echoes this same truth with pastoral warmth: “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.” Peter acknowledges the reality of sorrow. Trials bring “heaviness,” grief, distress, emotional weight. He does not minimize the pain or tell believers to stuff their feelings. But he places that temporary heaviness in the context of eternal joy. The sorrow is “for a season,” it has a beginning and an end. The joy, by contrast, is lasting and rooted in salvation that cannot be lost.
Peter explains the purpose of trials with striking imagery: “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” Gold is valuable, and refining gold requires intense heat to burn away impurities. But faith is more precious than gold. Gold perishes, it is temporal, earthly, limited in usefulness. But faith endures into eternity. Trials test our faith, and this suffering is not wasted. They are God’s refining fire, burning away doubt, fear, self-reliance, and sin, leaving behind pure trust in God. And when Christ appears, that refined faith will result in praise, honor, and glory; not to us, but to Him. Our perseverance through trials displays the power of God’s grace to a watching world and brings glory to His name.
Peter then points to the source of joy in the midst of suffering: “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” This is paradoxical joy. We love someone we have never seen. We rejoice in someone we cannot currently see. This is faith at work; “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”[1] The joy Peter describes is “unspeakable” beyond words, indescribable, too deep for human language to capture. It is “full of glory,” glorified joy, joy that reflects and participates in the glory of God Himself. This is not worldly happiness dependent on health, wealth, or ease. This is heavenly joy grounded in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
The foundation of this joy is salvation: “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” The word “end” means goal or outcome, not termination. The goal of our faith is the full and final salvation of our souls; glorification, the completion of what God began in us.
- We have been saved (justification)
- we are being saved (sanctification)
- and we will be saved (glorification).
Trials refine our faith and move us toward that ultimate salvation. When we understand that God is using every hardship to conform us to the image of His Son and to prepare us for eternal glory, we can rejoice even in the midst of pain.
Paul adds his testimony to this truth: “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us”[2] Tribulation produces patience, which produces proven character, which produces hope, which does not disappoint because it rests on God’s love poured into our hearts. This is the cycle of joy in trials; suffering that leads to endurance, endurance that builds character, character that produces hope, and hope that anchors the soul because God’s love is the foundation of it all.
Joy in trials is not denial of pain. It is not pretending everything is fine when it isn’t. It is the deep, settled confidence that God is sovereign, God is good, God is purposeful, and God is faithful. It is the assurance that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.[3]” The trials we face are not evidence of God’s absence but of His commitment to make us like His Son.
This Advent, if you are walking through difficulty, remember that your trials have meaning. God is not wasting your pain. He is refining your faith, building your endurance, shaping your character, and preparing you for glory. Let the joy of salvation sustain you. Look to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross.[4] And know that the same God who brought Him through suffering to glory is bringing you through as well.
Prayer:
- Ask the Lord to help you rejoice in what He is shaping in you, even through hardship.
- Pray for faith to see beyond present pain to His eternal purposes, and ask Him to refine your faith like gold, letting your endurance bring glory to His name.
Consider:
Encourage someone who is walking through a trial with a handwritten note or message of hope. Share a verse that has sustained you through difficulty or simply remind them that God is faithful and their suffering is not wasted. Pray for them by name, asking God to give them joy in the midst of their trial and to reveal the purposes He is accomplishing through it.
[1] Hebrews 11:1
[2] Romans 5:3-5
[3] Romans 8:28
[4] Hebrews 12:2
Robert C. Crowder Ministries 
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