Trials: Discipling Your Kids Through Tough TimesSýnishorn

It’s interesting that James immediately follows yesterday’s reading, which ended with “not lacking anything,” with today’s reading, which starts with, “If any of you lacks wisdom…” Didn’t he just say that suffering and perseverance would lead to lacking nothing? And why did he include it with his teaching on suffering?

Context shows that he’s referring to the wisdom needed to get through a trial. Often, trials come our way that take us completely beyond ourselves. We have no idea how to deal, so we need the wisdom only found in God to get through.

Also noteworthy is that he specifically says to ask God—not friends, family, social media, ourselves, or culture—for wisdom. As much as we need community, it still can’t provide everything needed in a crisis. No amount of insight from others will ever provide the fullness of wisdom needed for life.

Graciously, God offers everything we need, without reproach or hesitation, though we have done nothing to deserve it. And what does He require in return? Simply a posture of humility and faith, one that doesn’t doubt that God will provide. Doubt (Greek: diakrino) not only implies the passive act of questioning God and uncertainty of His promise for us, it also includes an active state of judgment that God is incapable or unwilling to provide.

James mentions that the one who doubts is “unstable in all he does.” Instability, at its core, is perspective lost. We and our children must realize that the moment we sever connection with God by doubting Him is the moment we lose perspective on and any wisdom to navigate trials. We cannot accept what God freely gives when there are parts of ourselves (our trust and belief) that we withhold from Him.

The hardest choice we’ll ever face is a posture of surrender to God when our circumstances seem to be screaming that He’s not trustworthy or good. But praying “not My will, but Yours be done” in the face of grief, loss, and suffering will incomprehensibly yield joy, wisdom, and stability immeasurable.

Ask your kids: Have you ever felt alone or hopeless in a hard situation? Why? Where did you go for help? During that situation, did you feel like God loved you and was taking care of you? Why or why not?