Count it All Joy - Tara Bazemore
“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;”
James 1: 2
There is a place that our family loves to go. It is a little island off the coast of Georgia called Blackbeard Island. It is breathtaking with its views, untouched by man. The only way you can access this island is by boat and boy is it worth it! This island is located where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Sapelo River. On one side you have a beautiful marsh with its milky brown water and as soon as you climb up over the dune, a gorgeous breathtaking view of the ocean. You can look to the right or left and not a soul in sight. One thing I love to do is look for shark teeth or unusual shells at the beach. One particular day we ventured out as a family to our little paradise. It had been a hard week in ministry and we needed something to take our mind off of everything.
As I walked along the shoreline looking for shark teeth, I realized my head had been down most of the time while being there. When I looked up, I saw a beautiful landscape of God’s creation that I had missed. I was so consumed with finding shark teeth that I failed to forget what was right before me. The beautiful birds, unique pieces of driftwood, and gorgeous white-capped waves pounding against the shore. It was then that God had brought to my heart all the times that I had kept my head down during the trials in life, not with prayer but with disappointments, despairs, regrets, and heartaches. I failed to miss what God was doing. The process He was taking me through and the closeness it brings to Him. It is easy to consume ourselves with the pain, the adversity, or the sorrow the trials bring, that we fail to see the beauty in them. That day the Lord brought “Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.” We all know the verse. It is one of those verses that we hear often, memorize, or read in God’s Word but fail to put into practice.
Sometimes it is hard to find joy in the trial. It is so easy to feel sorry for ourselves, to allow the enemy to make us believe we are the only ones going through this and yet the whole time, God wants us to have joy. Joy! Yes, JOY! Joy, when our life is not going how “we” planned it to go. Joy, when we receive a diagnosis from the doctor. Joy, when our child has gone astray or needs the Savior. Joy, when our family seems to be falling apart. You see, joy is having absolute contentment, confidence, and hope that comes from trusting in God’s promises. It is trusting the outcome of His plan for our lives. It is trusting Him because He knows what is best. It is counting it all joy!
I desired to have a deeper understanding of divers temptations on the boat ride home and what it truly means for the believer. Isn’t it a sweet reminder that the Holy Spirit loves us so much that he prods our hearts with the scripture we need? Divers temptations mean trials of different kinds. Sometimes our trials may come one at a time and sometimes we may be facing several different trials. Trials are hard. Sometimes they are long and sometimes they take the wind out of you. But no trial is without purpose and no trial is without teaching. Every single trial that God has given, has grown you and me. They draw us closer to Him and it makes us more like Him. Isn’t that what we often pray for? No matter if it is one trial or many-trust Him!
As I write this today, our family is facing some of the hardest trials we have had to face as a family. The trials have lasted longer than I have wanted them to and I have not faced them like I should have. Have I questioned God? Yes. Did I walk away? I almost did. Did I pray? I could not find words. You see, I lost my joy. I believe it is missing in a lot of our lives as we face the trial before us. Joy may not make the trial easier, but it sure will be sweeter! Sister until we have joy, we will be miserable. Joy does something deep within the soul. It takes our mind off of what is and places our eyes on Jesus. Joy deepens our trust in Him (Psalm 28:7). Joy brings praise (Psalm 71:23). Joy gives us the heart to serve Him (Psalm 100: 1-5). Joy gives us strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Joy is a beautiful gift from the Holy Spirit because with joy- comes peace. Will you take James 1: 2 write it out and place it somewhere as a reminder today?
For when we have joy through the trial, it is when we can truly say,
“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
Habakkuk 3: 17 & 18
Count it all joy Beloved!