Count It All Joy?
The book of James in the New Testament is one of the mostdown-to-earth books in the Bible. If James was alive today, he would have probably said, “Keep it real!” His letter is very practical and pulls no punches on how we should be about SOZO.
James was a brother to Jesus (Really half brother, God not Joseph was Jesus’ father!) From what we know he did not believe in Jesus when he was young. Instead it was after the resurrection of Christ that he really gave his life to the cause of Christ. He became a prominent Pastor in Jerusalem and ended his life as a martyr.
James writing style was very abrupt and to the point. James was concerned about real issues and did not mix words. Here is an example, one that plays in the way we would see circumstances.
“Count it all joy when you have trials.”
Why would he write this? The key is in the greeting of the letter. It reads, “To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations.”
There was persecution of the early church. The result was that they were scattered throughout the region. This also meant that there was much hardship. But to this persecution and poverty James writes something very strange! he says to have joy in sorrow? What could he mean? We know that it is natural to be disappointed, sad, mourn and even angry at some situations.
THE SECRET IS IN WORDS “CONSIDER” AND “JOY”
Consider means “count”. It was an accounting term for “an arithmetical computation” or “to reckon with pebbles”. The word implies that we need to “account” for our joy amid these dire circumstances. We need to reconcile the accounting books “our reality” in light of eternity. Accounting is an exact science where every item is placed in the specific column and within the correct category. These figures are not isolated, but rather each one is given the precise weight of negative or positive and all reconciled together to present a balanced accurate picture of a total condition.
The word “joy” in the Greek is “chara”. This is not the word for “uproarious laughter” or “exuberance” that would be the Greek word “agalliasis”. Rather, “Chara” defined as a “calm delight”. This is more like a quiet, inner peaceful joy, the abiding, deep-seated current that flows from within. This type of joy was exemplified in the life and character of Jesus and set forth in His teaching.
Jame writes, “Count it all joy”. The word “joy” is preceded “it all”. This implies that the total of our experience should result in a deep, abiding and “calm” joy.
Jesus is good example of this. The Bible says, “For the Joy before Him He suffered the shame.” In His suffering He knew the end result would be JOY
This is like a woman giving birth – There is pain but the outcome is JOY.
Here is another example. It is in the Old Testament book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk wrote a complaint in the first chapter.
“How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.”
He continues:
I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity
to come on the nation invading us.”
And then Habakkuk has a “count it all joy” moment! Look at what he writes:
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
Faith Develops Perseverance
James continues in chapter 1 verse: 3 – 4, where he writes, ”Count it all joy because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. “
James says that joy is the result of faith which developes perserverance and this perserverance has a job to do in us.
Perserverance gives us the tools to “do the math”—to count it all joy!
It gives us experience to draw on and faith to believe.
Jesus persevered— Habakkuk persevered -
We must persevere – BUT HOW??? James answers this question:
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
This is what Habakkuk did—He cried out to God for wisdom and peace-
This is what the Bible means that he will give us a peace that passes all understanding!!! Only God can give this kind of peace.
My brother Rod wrote this following explanation after losing a son in a car accident and a few years later, losing a business becaus of embezlement. Rod writes,
“The psalmist writes it this way in Psalms 37:7
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”
The phrase “wait patiently for Him” is this word which means, “one who is in deep suffering, in a torturous situation, who is distressed and seems to be writhing in pain.” to spiral or twist in the wind.
It pictures a seemingly hopeless situation. You are waiting in pain. But there is more. The first part of the verse says to “Be still.” The “be still” part of the verse is from the word “da mam”.
THIS MEANS “to be silent, to grow dumb or be silent, to be very still, to wait” It also means “going limp and falling.”
The picture here is one giving up and falling to the ground, becoming limp—“to let go” is another translation, to “let go of your grip.” We see this of Jesus in the Garden. He fell over and over—yet for the joy before Him—HE COUNTED IT ALL FOR JOY—HE DID THE MATH
Rather than an answer (as in reason for my suffering), I discovered what it is that God wants me to do. As I twist in the wind, as I writhe, as I flap in the breeze, I am to “let go.” I am to be silent, fall limp and let God take me to the next place.When I was young my friends and I discovered our first wrestling move. It was called the “full nelson”. This is where you take both arms, run them behind your component, lock your hands together behind their head and press down. The result is a pretty severe hold, one that is very difficult to get out of. The automatic response is to panic, stiffen up, and fight. The more you struggle, the more futile it becomes. In fact, when you first encounter it, you can’t get out of it. Then my dad showed me the secret to escaping the full nelson. He explained that when someone comes from behind you and puts this death grip on you, the way to get out is to raise your arms and simply go limp! You let go! You totally give in, and you will slide out of that hold every time. A few nights ago as that came to me, I said, “Father…God…that’s it! That is what you are talking about! And that is what applies to this scenario.”
When we are flat up against a wall, when the pain is intense, there is nothing in sight—the only kind of praying we can do is to in faith, let go. We are to go limp, we are to fall and wait. He will take us to safety.”
You add it up and deep inside you let God finish the math -He will HOLD YOU – When our life is over, the math will be done and the end results will equal joy!
James is not talking about a phony joy that ignores injustice, hurt and pain but rather in all of our suffering we can come to a God who will help us see the whole grand scheme, and create within us a peace that passes all understanding. This results in joy – a calm delight .
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