Dear Christian friends:

Sometimes people join the Church and think now my troubles are all over. I have renounced the devil, I have said good bye to wicked friends. Nothing will trouble me now.

That is very foolish thinking. The wicked friends will not praise us for joining with Jesus. Our old Adam will not be quiet. And the devil will seek to get us back.

Troubles and temptations will meet us every day, and if God did not help us these troubles and temptations would destroy our faith. We Christians must learn to live with troubles and be ready to handle them successfully.

So James teaches us in our text. He shows us

We must expect troubles as Christians. When we join with Christ we forsake Satan. That is like declaring war on him. And he does not accept that quietly. Peter says he's out to get us and warns: "Be sober be vigilant because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour, especially they who remain steadfast in the faith." (1 Peter 5:8-9) Remember Job.

James tells us these trials are "divers", verse 2. Money, pleasure, sickness, women, loneliness, poverty, riches. Today this tomorrow that. We are tempted to give up resisting. But you can't win by giving up. As we have learned in our fight with Russia. Don't try to make peace with Satan: it will be on his terms, not God's: for his advantage, not yours. Better stay and fight as James says: "Count it all joy." This does not mean that we must be fanatic or crazy to get temptations and trouble. But we rejoice that these troubles test our faith and teach us patience and endurance.

Realize that these troubles produce in you the good quality of endurance. Who wants to remain a baby Christian or a teenager? These troubles help us to grow up and become mature men and women of God.

Examples: Peter and the apostles departed from the Council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name, Acts 5:41. Before Jesus was crucified Peter and the others were like scared babies when Jesus was crucified. But now, after going through many troubles they rejoice in troubles.

Many Lutherans in Germany especially in East Germany are growing stronger and stronger because of their many trials, first from the Nazis and now from the communists. You should read some of the books they write and you will see their mature faith and joy in all that trouble.

So we, too, should not be afraid of trouble or be displeased when it comes, but welcome it as a friend remembering that it teaches patience and makes us strong in faith.

Of course, we must not be proud and think we can handle troubles in our own strength. If we depend on our own strength and wisdom these troubles will destroy us.

When troubles come we may not understand why. We may think that God is angry and wants to punish us. Or we may think that God has forsaken me and say, "If God is with me, why has all this trouble happened to me?"

So James says, "If any of you do not understand about your trouble, ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and scolds not" He won't think you are dumb if you pray for understanding. But He will help you to understand your troubles and He will show you how to live with them successfully.

But James warns: "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." (verse 6) Often in trouble we only ask God to take away the trouble. We don't want to improve through the trouble; we only want to be free of the trouble. The two thieves on the cross are a good example. The one on the left did not accept the crucifixion and prayed Jesus to free him. But the thief on the right accepted his cross and prayed Jesus to forgive him.

We should not always pray God to take away trouble, but ask Him to help us understand it and to live with it. Jesus dealt with the thief leaving him on the cross, but nevertheless assuring him of God's mercy and forgiveness of sins.

So we in our troubles must not think that they are punishments of God or that we are paying for our sins. No look to Jesus like the thief. He, the holy Son of God suffered and died for our sins.

But God gives us troubles that we may know this better and trust even in death.

Amen.