“No Shadow of Turning”
Opening Prayer
Lord, grant me victory over the circumstances of my trials.
Read James 1:12–18
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
New International Version (NIV)
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Reflect
Praise our good Father, who “is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy” (Jude 24).
Many of us have struggled with feeling abandoned by the Lord. Sometimes, everything we felt about God’s love for us seems to have evaporated. “I am one who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord’s wrath,” says the writer of Lamentations. “He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light” (Lam. 3:1,2). Yet in the midst of our turmoil we must remind ourselves of the basic goodness of God’s character. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22,23).
James encourages us to trust what we know to be true about God. As our Father, our God is good and the Giver of all good things (17). God is light, and remaining in his light means we won’t stumble (17). God’s heart is to bless us, and this does not change when we are struggling: in fact, we receive a special promise of blessing (12). Trials may test our faith, but they prepare us for the day when all that God has promised us will be perfectly realized. We must hold on to these truths when we feel overwhelmed, for God truly does work all things together for the ultimate good of those who love him (Rom. 8:28).
James warns about the consequences for those who persist in doubting God’s goodness: they stumble in the darkness, unable to find the path of life. When we turn away from trusting God, we lose a proper perspective on suffering, sin and temptation. We may even end up faulting God for our troubles (Prov. 19:3) and justifying our sin by claiming that God brought all this on. These are lies from the father of lies (John 8:44), not from our “Father of the heavenly lights” (17).
Apply
Do not doubt God’s goodness to you. “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him” (Lam. 3:25).
Closing prayer
O God, may I never blame You for what I have brought on to myself. Teach me that You are the solution, not the problem.
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