Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of many kinds James 1:2 (ESV)
Count it all joy. This verse has always confounded me. I don't know about you, but when I'm faced with a trial or temptation, joy is farthest from my mind. Never have I uttered, Oh how wonderful! Another trial! At times, I even feel guilty that I'm not putting on my happy face and spreading good cheer when I'm in the throes of a trial.
However, I believe James was not speaking about feelings in this verse. He was not instructing them to be “happy” about trials. “Happiness” is an emotion that is circumstantial and temporal. It would be rather difficult to be happy and sad at the same time. When looking through a Greek language lens, he is saying is something on the order of, “My brothers-in-Christ, lead on, moving forward, thoroughly rejoicing when you are surrounded by all kinds of adversity or provocation from the enemy.”
Let’s take that apart a bit. First of all, He is addressing fellow believers, like us. Secondly, he uses the word “when” not “if” they (we) are facing a trial or temptation, reiterating the words of Jesus himself in John 16:33. “In the world you will have tribulation.” We can be certain that trials of the world and temptations from the enemy will come our way.
Thirdly, he instructs them to “count it all joy,” which when translated means to keep moving forward, rejoicing as you go. Think of a soldier on the battlefield, marching and singing as he moves forward, even though war is raging all around him. Don’t focus on what is behind, or even on the present struggle, but move forward with confidence that God has allowed this in his perfect will, and rejoice in him.
We may still question, “But, why has he allowed this trial in my life?” Well, the rest of the verse suggests two reasons. One, that we might develop patience and perseverance as we continue to face even more trials on earth. What an example we can be to others if we keep our focus and rejoice in the midst of our trial. And two, through God’s sanctifying work in us, he is bringing us to a place of completion, or perfection, so that we lack nothing.
To sum it up, we don’t have to “feel” happy or joyful about trials, rather, we just need to trust that our Savior has us where we need to be, rejoice in him, and keep moving forward, in faith as he leads.