Pastor Tricia's Ramblings

Are you facing a trial?

If you’re not, just wait. Because as James reminds us in James 1:2, it’s not if we face trials, it’s when. “Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds…” Trials are not optional. They’re not avoidable. They’re a guarantee in the life of a believer. But here’s the good news: they’re not wasted. These struggles, storms, and suffering all serve a purpose. They are designed by God to develop perseverance, build character, and lead us into maturity (James 1:3–4).

But there’s more. James doesn’t just tell us to suffer well; he tells us what to ask for in the suffering. Surprisingly, he doesn’t say, “Ask God to deliver you.” He says:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” — James 1:5 (ESV)

Wisdom, Not Escape

Most of us, when we are in a trial, instinctively ask God for a way out. “Lord, get me out of this,” or “God, please fix this situation.” But James redirects our prayers. He says that what we really need in the trial is wisdom—God’s perspective, discernment, and insight while we are still in it.

Why? Because if trials are meant to grow us, escaping them short-circuits the very process that brings us to spiritual maturity.

When you pray for wisdom, you’re not asking God to erase the pain—you’re asking Him to teach you something through it. You’re saying, “God, show me how to walk through this in a way that glorifies You. Help me see what You’re doing in me. Teach me how to trust You.”

My Own Trial: A Writing Format Nightmare

I’m currently back in school, pursuing a master’s degree. One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced isn’t theological—it’s technical. I’ve had to learn an entirely new academic writing format called Teruvian, which is very different from APA, the format I’m comfortable with. To be honest, it’s been frustrating, exhausting, and overwhelming. I’ve wanted to quit more than once.

My professors could just let me stick with APA. That would feel like deliverance. But they don’t. Instead, they’re pushing me to learn something new. They’ve given me resources and guidance, but they’re not letting me take the easy route.

And you know what? I’m growing. My writing is improving. My ability to communicate clearly and effectively is expanding. The very thing I wanted to be delivered from is actually the very thing God is using to mature me.

God often works the same way. He allows trials, not because He’s indifferent to our pain, but because He’s interested in our growth. And He generously offers wisdom to anyone who asks for it.

Trials Refine Us

James tells us in verses 2–4 that trials produce steadfastness, and that steadfastness, when it has its full effect, leads to us being “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Trials are refining fires. Just like gold is purified through heat, our faith is purified through hardship (1 Peter 1:6–7).

But without wisdom, we can miss the refining. Without wisdom, we become bitter instead of better. Without wisdom, we look for the exit instead of the lesson.

Proverbs 2:6 says,

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

This isn’t just poetic language—it’s a promise. God is the source of wisdom, and He wants to give it. He’s not stingy with it. He doesn’t shame you for needing it. James says He gives it “generously” and “without reproach.”

The Condition: Ask Without Doubting

There’s a condition though. James 1:6–8 goes on to say:

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

This isn’t saying we can never struggle or question—James isn’t talking about honest questions or wrestling in faith. He’s talking about a kind of divided loyalty, where we ask God for help while already planning to ignore what He says. It’s asking God for wisdom but not really intending to trust His response.

It’s the spiritual equivalent of saying, “God, give me Your direction—but only if I agree with it.”

The wise person asks God for insight and trusts that what God gives is right, even if it’s hard, even if it means staying in the storm.

Wisdom in the Bible: More Than Knowledge

In the biblical context, wisdom is not just information or clever ideas. Wisdom is the ability to live in alignment with God’s will. It’s practical, grounded, Spirit-led understanding of how to respond in difficult circumstances.

• Solomon asked for wisdom (1 Kings 3:9) and received not just knowledge, but insight to lead well.
• Jesus Himself is described as the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24).
• Paul prays for believers to have “spiritual wisdom and understanding” so that they can live lives worthy of the Lord (Colossians 1:9–10).

Asking for wisdom is really asking for Jesus to meet us in the storm and show us how to walk like Him through it.

Don’t Waste the Trial

When we ask for deliverance, we often just want comfort. But comfort rarely grows us. Comfort keeps us safe and small. Trials stretch us, deepen us, and break us open in ways that allow God to fill us with more of Him.

We often think maturity comes from Bible knowledge, church attendance, or long-standing faith—but maturity really comes from walking through suffering with God’s wisdom.

Don’t waste your trial. Don’t rush through it. Don’t despise it. Instead, ask:

• “God, what are You teaching me?”
• “How are You shaping me?”
• “What do You want me to see about You that I can’t see anywhere else but here?”

Two Choices: Better or Bitter

Trials give us a choice. We can be better or bitter. The difference lies in what we ask for and where we fix our eyes.

Bitter people are often those who ran from the lesson. They asked for relief, but not for wisdom. They saw the pain but missed the purpose.

Better people are those who embraced the struggle, leaned on the Spirit, asked for wisdom, and allowed God to do the deep work of transformation.

As Romans 5:3–5 reminds us:

“…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

and endurance produces character,

and character produces hope,

and hope does not put us to shame…”

So What Trial Are You Facing Today?

Maybe it’s grief, or loneliness, or financial stress. Maybe it’s relational tension, anxiety, a job loss, or a health scare. Maybe it’s a season of change or a hard assignment from God—like learning a new writing format.

Whatever it is, the question is not whether God will take it away. He might. But the deeper question is: Will you ask for wisdom?

Will you let Him guide you through the storm?

Will you trust that the trial has purpose?

Will you believe that maturity comes not through escape, but through endurance?

God is not absent in your struggle. He is very present. And He’s inviting you to a deeper walk with Him—not through shortcuts, but through surrender.

He’s offering you wisdom. All you have to do is ask.

Prayer for Wisdom in Trials:

The endgame isn’t just survival. It’s maturity.

James 1:4 says,

“Let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

So let the storm do its work. Let the pain teach you something. Let God shape you into someone stronger, deeper, and wiser than before.

Don’t just pray for the storm to pass—pray for wisdom to walk through it. That’s how we grow. That’s how we mature. And that’s how we begin to count it all joy.