"Consider it Pure Joy!"

Passage: James 1:2-4

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance. Perserverance must finish it's work so that you may be mature, and complete, not lacking anything."

Reminder

Two years ago, I wrote a devotional on this very same topic. You can look it up for yourself by clicking here. As I have prayerfully pondered what the Lord would have for me to share with you this time, He brought this devotional back to my memory. Perhaps it is because of the stark similarities that the circumstances involved share... or maybe it is the definite differences that are evident... I am not sure. But one thing I know: while it would appear that my own maturity level has changed somewhat over the last two years, the truth of the Word of God is in fact that same... yesterday, today, and forever!

Broken Down In The Midwest

Two years ago, my small family car broke down in the vicinity of south Chicago/Gary Indiana. One week ago, it was my only remaining vehicle's turn to offer up it's refusal to run. While the locations of the two breakdowns were really quite similar (only about 50 miles apart), the situations, and the way in which I handled them couldn't possibly be more opposite.

You see, back in March of 1996, I was terribly upset - frustrated would be an understatement - and I was quite vocal about these feelings to the Lord. As it was, I didn't do too well in following the advice of James to consider it pure joy when I go through various trials and tribulations. I ended up having to learn my lesson the hard way - as an afterthought. Isn't amazing how hindsight is always 20/20?

But last week, in a small suburb of Chicago, Illinois, my van simply stopped working on a Saturday night! It was just after our service for the Salvation Army Corps in Elgin, IL. We pulled into the Captain's driveway, stopped the engine, and started to getout of the van. I was asked to pull it up just another foot so people could get past a bush, and when I went to start the van - it didn't! Nothing but clicking noises met with my turn of the key - and I thought... "Oh boy... this might be it!"

You see, I have almost 200,000 miles on that van, and while we've been blessed with very few problems, I am half expecting it to break down any time now - for no other reason that just age and wear! This had a distinct, "bad alternator" feel to it - so I went to doing everything I knew how to do on a dark night, less than 12 hours to our next stop some 50 miles away for Sunday morning service.

Refusal To Be Discouraged

Given the circumstances, it would have been very easy for me to start jumping up and down, and getting very angry about the poor timing of this problem. However, my wife and I chose rather to praise God for His perfect provision of all our needs. You see - we broke down in the driveway of a friend, and not out on the middle of some unnamed highway. We had a warm place to stay, and terrific company... without having to pay for a motel room for the next 3 days! And we were all safe, and not experiencing a life-threatening disaster that could have happened at freeway speeds, etc.

We were unable to do anything that evening, and so we went to bed, again, thanking God for His sovereignity in all things. Upon waking, nothing had changed, and the van wasn't going anywhere. However - the Captain of the Salvation Army Corps allowed us the lend of his vehicle so that we were able to get to our morning program on time, and we saw several people make positive decisions for the Lord there! We also met a man who, with his brother, drove back to Elgin with us, and helped us isolate what the problem was. God had supplied knowledgable men to help us eliminate possibilities, and narrow the potential problems to only a couple.

It was thought that what I needed was a new alternator. So I bought one (with the funds that God had allowed us to earn at the conference we spoke at the weekend before), and had it installed the following day. When that didn't solve the problem, I could have gotten even more upset at the thought of having spent unnecessary money on a part that may not have needed to be replaced. But instead, I start praising God for the fact that now we have a new part that will last us the life of my van, and we had once again eliminated a possible problem - and now only one thing could be acting up... the voltage regulator!

Enter The Real Challenge

As you may know, brand loyalty is an amazing thing. It's often what drives us most in our selection of various products, and vehicles are no different. I am a "Dodge" man.  I like Dodge vehciles. I don't like Chevy's and I don't care for Fords. I like Dodge. But...

In their infinite (make that finite) wisdom (wisDUMB?), the manufacturers of my Dodge van decided to build the voltage regulator into the central computer, which operates all electrical functions of the vehicle!! I made several phone calls, and spoke to many different mechanics. All of them told me that I'd have to take the van to Dodge, and that a new computer would cost me over $400!! All of them, that is... except one.

Then I met a man and his wife who work out of their home, and their major source of income comes by way of installing what they call a "bypass" chip onto the back of alternators. You see, it seems that a voltage regulator is a common part that fails in vehicles from time to time, and yet, Dodge has made it integrated with the computer so that if it goes, they get to sell a whole new computer. These bypass chips serve the purpose of a voltage regulator, and allow the computer, which is fine in every other aspect, to go on being useful to the vehicle without needing to be replaced.

Once again we simply had no other recourse but to praise God for His direction!! He was the one who led us to this man, I am convinced! He was the one who was glorified when we did not have to spend hard-earned ministry money on replacing a part that wasn't broken! And He was the one who was glorified when we chose to "consider it pure joy" through what could easily have been described as a real series of negative happenings!

Why have I spent such a long time writing in such explicit detail in this devotion? It's because through it all, I have learned that it is far better to be obedient to the Word... and to consider it pure joy when we go through difficult times, than to shake our fist at God, which is surely a haughty spirit at best, and completely non-productive!

Who knows why our van broke down? For that matter, who knows what we may have avoided out on the highways had we driven off at our scheduled time? I have no way of knowing how those things might have changed the picture of our lives during those days. But this I do know - today I am a blessed man with a wonderful family - and I serve a God who is intimately interested in every aspect of my life... even the times when my van doesn't work the way it should. And He's interested in your life too! How's your reaction to adverse circumstance? Perhaps it's time for us to be reminded... to consider it pure joy!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you!! Thank you for your soveriegnity in all things! Thank you for your protection. And Lord, thank you for your Word, which directs us to consider it pure joy when we go through difficult times. Be glorified with our response to the trials of each and every day, Lord... and we will give You the praise! In Jesus' name, Amen!!