“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2).
OK, most of us know the Bible says we are to consider pain to be a cause for rejoicing, but, as my friend Steve Brown likes to say . . . can we talk? The man who lost his job two months ago and hasn’t found anything new, the man who has bill collectors calling nonstop and whose wife seems to be more remote by the day . . . he’s supposed to count that as joy? Such a response might be expected from a super-spiritual saint like Job, but for everyday believers like you and me, would you say that that God seems to be asking a bit much?
When was the last time you thought about your pain in the context of it being pleasing to God? It’s probably been awhile; pain springing forth out of the fountain of pleasing God is counterintuitive. It’s certainly more comfortable to believe that pleasing God would result in pleasure for the one who is pleasing God. Yet when you read the biblical accounts of those who were pleasing God and living dead center in His will, pain was the confession of their lives.
Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice his beloved son. Joseph was sold into slavery by his resentful siblings. John the Baptist was beheaded by a lecherous tyrant. Stephen was stoned to death by an angry mob. All the apostles except John died a martyr’s death, and John died in lonely exile on the Isle of Patmos. Pleasing God is certainly no guarantee of comfortable passage for those who live as pilgrims passing through a strange and hostile land (see 1 Peter 2:11). 2 Timothy 3:12 presents a sober warning: “All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” The promise is pain for all who seek to live a life worthy of their calling.
Since the fall of Adam and Eve, God promised that there will be an ongoing battle between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, a battle that will continue until God in Christ makes all things new (Revelation 21:1-5). One lesson we can take from man’s cosmic treason in the Garden is that pain will confront everyone who seeks to be ruler of their own little kingdom. And God, in His grace, will make sure that pain wins this battle! When we are seduced by self-sufficiency, the grace of pain propels us back to our Savior. God uses pain to keep us from living for anything smaller than God.
The grace of pain breaks down the walls of self-rule, self-protection, and self-security, ultimately “bringing you to the end of yourself,” as Steve Brown rightly observed. We must be careful not to fixate on that moment in the future when our pain will end and miss the good God is doing right in the middle of it. James concluded his startling exhortation to “count it all joy” by explaining that “the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” And he went on to say that you should “let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:3-4).
Imagine for a moment that all of life was pure pleasure. On the surface that might sound inviting. But continual pleasure without the grace of pain would cause us to shrink the size of our lives down to the size of our lives.
So where in your life has God been sending you the grace of pain? More importantly, what have you been doing with it? Chuck Swindoll said years ago, “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.” As pain comes into our lives, we should react to it with joy, because we know that pain is ultimately coming from a loving Father who is working it all together for our good (Romans 8:28). This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 
