Allow God's Process of Change to Run Its Course (v.4)

Something about the smell of freshly cut grass in the heat of summer takes me back to my football playing days. What I remember most is the dreaded onset of summer "two-a-days." In order to get prepared for the season the team would have to suffer through two practices a day for two straight weeks in the sweltering summer heat.

The vilest part of the entire experience was the wind sprints that concluded every practice. We would run to the point of exhaustion. As I stood on the line waiting for the whistle to blow between sprints, I can still hear the coach yelling "Get off your knees! Stand up and put your hands on your heads!"

It was the tendency of every player who was gasping for a breath in the thick summer air to bend over and put their hands on their knees just to get a little relief. Standing up was torturous. But, the coach knew bending at the waist hindered the purpose of the sprints. It diminished the lung capacity. Standing upright with hands on top of your head, although painful, allowed your lungs to fully expand and take in the oxygen your body was craving. We were not allowed to relive the pressure. In order for the process to have its full benefit it had to be fully endured. In the same way, to get the most out your trials you can't relieve the pressure. You have to stay up under them. Why? Because, for the trial to have its full benefit it must be fully endured.

It's important to note something at this point in James' instruction. Notice that there is not a hint of escape in this passage. Not once does he encourage us to find a way out. In fact, the exact opposite emphasis predominates the context. As the saying goes, "God is not so interested in getting you out of it as He is in taking you through it." His command in verse four is predicated on this truth, "And let endurance have its perfect result" (v. 4). In other words, do not circumvent God's process of change in your life by trying to remove yourself from trial. Rather, allow the process of change contained in the trial to run its course and have its perfect result.

A Faith to Stand On

Recently, one of the members of our worship team was sharing the frustrations of music preparation and rehearsals. She was bemoaning the fact that there was never enough time to get ready for Sunday. As we talked she commented, "We simply don't have enough time to be perfect." I laughed. She had no idea how accurate her theology was. That same limitation is true for the Christian. In this life we will never be perfect. Our nature forbids it. Whatever James means by "perfect" in this verse he cannot mean it in the sense of sinless perfection.

We will always have room for improvement here on this earth. In this context, the word is better understood as "complete" or "mature". The "complete result" being referred to here is that of a full-grown faith. As we stay under a trial our faith is matured and strengthened. You could translate this verse as follows, "Stay under the trial and by endurance allow it to have its full effect so that your faith may become full grown under the pressure."