Steadfast

James memorization, Week #5: James 1.12

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial,
for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life,
which God has promised to those who love him.”

This was the stark view out the window as we drove to the trailhead for our backpacking trip a couple of years ago. I remember traveling this same small, bone-crunchingly rough road about fifteen years ago, about a year after a forest fire destroyed the area. What was once a full, dense forest of spruce and pine had been reduced to thin, black, unmoving sentinels standing without voice, but yet full of speech.

The beauty of this picture is not so much in those still-steadfast sentinels, but in the new, fresh, green growth at their feet. Wind and fire had raced through this canyon, but in the midst of that trial, the ground was prepared for new life. Fire is good for the forest. No, not every year, or even every decade. But occasionally fire is needed to thin the trees, or in some cases, to even enable new growth (for example, some varieties of pine trees require fire to crack open the nut-casing so that the seed can germinate). As you can see in this picture, without the trial of fire this lush new growth would never have been seen.

This is the way it is with God’s people, James declares. Trial comes (and we should count it joy!), and with the wisdom that God provides to walk through the trial, our faith is strengthened and proven so that we become like steadfast sentinels. And the day will come when we receive the reward that is real, true, lasting life.

Almost makes you desire the trials, doesn’t it? Okay, maybe not! The fire is painful, but the reward, we discover through James, is worth the pain so that we can count it all joy.