Beloved,
I was thankful that my hotel at presbytery had a small gym. After all, presbytery involves nearly endless sitting, so it was good to be able to sweat a little in the early mornings before our meetings. Since my time was limited, I decided to practice my Scripture memory while on the treadmill, reciting aloud the 50 or so verses from James that I’ve memorized thus far. As I did, my heart was particularly gripped by James 1:12: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve repeated this verse over the last couple of months, but for some reason, I had never made the connection to Psalm 1—until that moment on the treadmill at the Holiday Inn.
It was like a lightbulb went off in my mind. James 1:12 begins with the exact same words as the opening verse of Psalm 1: “Blessed is the man…” It also ends with the eternal hope of the blessed man, echoing the final verse of Psalm 1: “For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” In other words, both passages point to a blessedness that is experienced in part now and in fullness on the last day.
But they describe the path to blessedness differently. According to Psalm 1, we flourish as we devote ourselves to the divine Word. According to James 1, we flourish as we remain unmoved in the midst of trials. As I ran, I found myself grappling with how the two are connected. In James 1:3, we see that steadfastness results from our faith being tested through trials. And what is the object of our faith, if not God’s self-revelation in the Scriptures? The blessed man is devoted to God’s Word in faith, and that faith is proven true—and purified—through trials, leading him to stand immovable.
Then I began reflecting on the strong, leafy-green, fruit-bearing tree David likens the blessed man to in Psalm 1:3. It occurred to me that a tree can never become like that without being beaten up by the wind. We’ve talked before about the abject failure of Biosphere 2—how growing trees in a greenhouse without wind is a recipe for disaster. Strong winds tug on a tree’s roots, causing the root system to expand and sink deeper into the earth. They also compress the tree’s wood, making its cellular structure more resilient.
In this life, the trials we experience in the world are designed to serve the trust we exercise in the Word. The winds serve the roots—which is why we can rejoice in them (James 1:2), even when they blow with hurricane-like force. For God is in the business of growing our faith unto our flourishing. All we need to do is trust Him and stand firm.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Nick