God Uses Trials to Build Endurance | James 1

When James opens his letter to the scattered believers, he doesn’t waste time with pleasantries. He doesn’t open with a blessing, a poem, or an anecdote. Instead, he begins with one of the most radical commands in all of Scripture: “Count it all joy... when you meet trials.”

If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you’ve probably read this verse. You may have even underlined it in your Bible. But I wonder—have you ever truly believed it?

Because here’s the thing: James is not offering a suggestion. This is the first of 54 imperative verbs in his short epistle—commands, not options. The Christian life is not a passive cruise through comfortable circumstances. It is an active pursuit of Christ, even through the fires of affliction. And James says, with apostolic clarity, “Rejoice in it.”


Why Joy in Trials?
This passage doesn’t call us to rejoice because we enjoy pain. That would be masochism. No, we rejoice in trials, not for them, because of what God is doing through them. James says the testing of your faith “produces steadfastness.” Trials are not random accidents; they are purposeful assignments from the Lord. They are His curriculum for your sanctification.

Sanctification is the will of God for your life (1 Thess. 4:3). It is His master plan to conform you to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). And one of His primary tools to accomplish that? Trials. Pain. Pressure. Testing. James doesn’t say these things might come. He says when—not if—you meet trials. It's guaranteed.

Too often, modern Christianity has swallowed a false gospel of ease. We assume that when hardship comes, it must be a sign that God is displeased with us. That’s bad theology. God doesn’t send trials to curse you. He sends trials to grow you.


Trials Test Our Faith
Trials are not neutral. They do something. They expose us. They reveal whether our faith is in God—or in ourselves.

In your life, the trial is the hardship. The temptation is what your heart wants to do with that hardship. For instance, if God brings a financial crisis into your life, that crisis is the trial. But your impulse to despair, or your desire to lie, cheat, or control the situation—that’s the temptation. James is clear: “God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one” (James 1:13). God doesn’t tempt you to sin—but He does bring the test.

And that test always reveals what you really trust.


Endurance Is More Than Survival
James says the testing of your faith “produces steadfastness.” The Greek word there is ὑπομονή (hypomonē). It means far more than just surviving. It is not mere tolerance or endurance—it is cheerful, Christ-centered perseverance.

This is not about gritting your teeth and muscling your way through. This is about spiritual maturity. The person who responds to trials biblically doesn’t just “get through it”—they grow through it. They become more like Christ because of it.

Calvin puts it beautifully:

“Joy in trials is not joy in pain, but it is joy in the fruit that is being produced.”

And he’s exactly right. We’re not called to fake smiles through suffering. We’re called to look ahead—to see the purpose behind the pain.

As Romans 5:3–4 reminds us:

“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”

The Danger of Misinterpreting Trials
I warned our church about a common theological error—especially in certain branches of fundamentalism—that sees all hardship as divine punishment. As if every flat tire or diagnosis means God is angry with you.

No, Christian. That’s not what the Word teaches. Scripture teaches that God disciplines His children out of love (Heb. 12:5–11). And sometimes, yes, He corrects us through trials. But many times, He grows us through them. The storm may not be because you did something wrong. It may be because God wants to show you who He is.

Think about Philippians 4. Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything...” But anxiety isn’t the trial. Anxiety is a reaction to the trial. The trial might be the loss of a job, or a sudden illness, or a relational conflict. Anxiety is what happens when you respond unbiblically to the test. But when you respond with faith, the fruit that grows is joy and steadfastness.


The Nautical Picture
I’ve often explained steadfastness as a nautical term. Picture a ship in a storm. When the seas are calm, it’s easy to stay on course. But when the waves crash, the winds whip, and the deck is rocking—it’s a different story.

What keeps the ship from drifting? The rope. The rope ties the rudder to the goal. It holds the ship’s direction even when everything else around it is chaotic.

Steadfastness is pulling that rope tight. It’s saying, “Lord, I trust You, even in this storm. I will keep pressing toward Christ.” The trial may shake you. It may rattle everything else in your life. But if you’re anchored to the truth of God’s Word and the character of your Savior, you will not be moved.


A Purpose in Every Trial
The trial is a part of God's mercy. It strips away your illusions of control. It destroys your idols. It clears away the fog. And it makes you cling to Christ.

That’s why James says, “Count it all joy.” Not because it feels good. But because God is good. And He’s working all things—even this—for your sanctification.


Conclusion
Christian, God is not absent in your suffering. He is present. He is working. He is sanctifying. The trial you’re facing is not a detour—it’s the very path God has chosen to grow you into the likeness of His Son.

So pull the rope. Tighten the sails. Fix your eyes on the horizon. And rejoice.

Because God uses trials to build endurance.