My original title for this sermon was wytrzymac, which is Polish for withstand. It’s actually my favorite Polish word, as it is so often a great reminder to self and also because it is such a great example of how differently people see things. For people whose first language is Polish, it spelled just like it sounds and pronounced just like it’s spelled. For most people Iknow, the word looks completely unpronounceable. It’s spelled w-y-t-r-z-y-m-a-c, one ‘a’ toward the end amidst awhole string of consonants we don’t string together in our language and it seems impossible to say. Different perspectives make a huge difference.
And so it is true with trials and temptations. As my friend John mentioned in his sermon at Presbytery yesterday, the words are very similar in Greek and do not carry very different meanings. In English those words have very different meanings. Something that is a trial to us is something generally regarded as somewhat unpleasant. A temptation, on the other hand, tends to be seen as something toopleasant that has unfortunate consequences or results. Often a trial is something we feel we have little or no control over and a temptation is something we feel we should have control over. Thus trials are things we feel we must withstand and temptations are things we feel we must conquer. But the truth is what seems a trial to one might be a temptation to another and what seems like a trial to the same person at one time in life may well seem like a temptation at another time and the only good solution for both is to carry them to God in prayer.
Look at the words of James in verses 5-8: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” It doesn’t say we should try to just stick it out or conquer it when we find ourselves facing difficulty, but that we should seek God’s help and trust Him to take care of things.
It sounds so very simple, but it is so much harder than it sounds. When we do try to turn things over to God with one hand, we are soon grasping to take them back with the other. We so want to feel like we are in control, like we have some power, like we can wytrzymac on our own. That is exactly the kind of thing James is referring to when he says we must believe and not doubt. As soon as we try to regain what we think is control, we are expressing doubt; doubt in God’s ability or interest to take care of the situation, to take care of us. If we have confidence, real confidence in God’s ability and interest in caring for us, we will be able to carry everything to God in prayer and then let Him bear our burden.
It is difficult to trust God to bear our burdens, however, when we have such limited perspective. When we are in the midst of trials and temptations we are like the Israelites in today’s Exodus story. We see only the difficulty of trying to do all we are used to doing when more challenges are heaped upon us, much like being forced to make the same number of bricks without being given the straw. We feel burdened and overwhelmed. We feel it is not fair and that someone should be blamed, as the Israelites blamed Moses and Aaron. But God sees the larger perspective. God saw that the Israelites were too comfortable to be ready to deal with the future and also knew that He was going to impose the plagues that would cause Pharaoh to let the people go. But for the Israelites living through the days of brick-making plus straw gathering, it just seemed like too much to bear. The limited perspective mattered.
We know the rest of the story, though. We know so many stories of God’s faithfulness to those to seek Him. We know the stories of God’s providence even for those same grumbling Israelites in the wilderness, of bringing them to the promised land, of protecting them in great battles in the years to come. We have a greater perspective than the ancient Israelites. So what is the problem? Why do we not easily give up our burdens and live with a sense of peace like the old song suggests? I suspect it is largely related to fear and arrogance. James writes, “Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.” But we don’t want to live in humble circumstances. We want to live in easy circumstances. We don’t want to wander in the desert; we want to bask on the beach. We are arrogant enough to think we deserve better, that we have earned better. And we fear that if we don’t fix the problem, take charge, keep control we will falter and end up humbled whether financially or emotionally or socially or in some other way. We don’t want to worry about whether people will like us, whether we will please or impress others, whether we will be able to afford the things we need and want. We want to be beautiful and successful and popular and financially secure.
Yet James echoes the words of Christ when he tells us that those who seem to be in good circumstances, the rich and beautiful, will see their worldly success fade away like flowers scorched by the sun. Instead of truly being in good circumstances, in what has become afamiliar reversal, God honors the one who has withstood the trial. “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” We are used to the idea that God rewards in Heaven those who have not seen worldly success, but at the time Jesus and later the apostles preached this message, it was viewed as radical. The prevailing wisdom was that God showed His approval of people by rewarding them in this life with worldly success. And we retain a bit of that understanding when we feel that we must conquer temptation on our own rather than turning it over to God. We are quick to blame God for our trials and temptations. “Why are you doing this to me? Why are you allowing this?” We lament. “Why do You allow this temptation to exist? Why don’t You just take it away?” We ask. We blame God for our trials and temptations, but James tells us that God is not the author of such things. “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.” God doesn’t lead us into temptation or cause our times of trial. God invites us to rely on Him in such times, offering to carry our load if we will let Him, giving us amazing gifts if we are willing to notice them, even in times of trial.
Times of trial and temptation are not punishments, but simply a part of life. What is important is not the trial or temptation, but how we deal with it. We can let it drag us into the depths of despair or into behaviors we know are wrong, or we can learn from it and understand that we gain perspective and perseverance from such times. James suggests we even welcome times of trial and temptation, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” To our ears that sounds a bit crazy until we talk with someone who has or is going through a time of trial and is managing to not only wytrzymac, but to see the blessing of God even in the midst of struggle. The best example of that I can give you is to share that when I spoke with Valerie this week, she proclaimed herself very blessed because even this terrible trial of cancer has brought the gift of coming to know how very much she is loved by all of us and so many others. The cancer itself is not a joy, but her perspective has been changed to focus not on the trial of the cancer but on the blessing of great love.
Everything we go through, each challenge we withstand gives us a chance to broaden our perspective, to learn that God makes good even from what we perceive as bad, and to remember that all good gifts, perhaps especially those that come at unexpected times of trial, come from God’s hand. Trials and temptations are part of life, but when we trust in the Lord and give our troubles over to Him, we will find that He is always there, always ready, never tires, and never gives up on us, always blesses us. When the trials and temptations come, fight the good fight – the fight against giving in and giving up – and instead carry everything to God in prayer. You will truly find your solace there.