Key Passage: James 1:2-3
Devotional:
Suffering is inevitable in this broken world. But as believers, we do not suffer alone. We serve a Savior who is well acquainted with grief (see Isaiah 53:3), a God who does not remain distant from our pain but entered into it. Jesus, the spotless Lamb, walked this earth, endured every temptation, felt the weight of sorrow, and bore the full measure of sin—yet remained without a single stain of sin (see Hebrews 4:15). He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might stand before God in righteousness (see 2 Corinthians 5:21).
This is why we can have joy even in suffering. Joy is not found in the absence of hardship but in the presence of Christ. As we have already learned, the abundant life Jesus offers is not a fleeting happiness tied to circumstances, but a deep, unshakable joy that remains even when life falls apart. This joy is not something we muster up on our own—it is given to us by the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us and walks alongside us. Romans 8:26 tells us that the Spirit groans with us in our weakness, interceding on our behalf. In our grief, in our struggles, when we feel overwhelmed and abandoned, the Holy Spirit reminds us that we are never alone.
This is the joy that sustained Paul as he suffered imprisonment, beatings, and rejection for the gospel. This is the joy that carried Christ to the cross, as He endured it “for the joy set before Him” (see Hebrews 12:2). And this is the joy that can sustain us today. It is not rooted in our circumstances but in the unshakable truth that Christ has already gone before us, that He has conquered sin and death, and that He will never leave or forsake us.
No matter what trials we face, we can take heart. We may grieve, but not without hope. We may suffer, but not without purpose. And we may struggle, but never without the presence of God. The abundant life is not about avoiding hardship but about knowing that in every trial, Christ is our joy.
Application Question: How does knowing that the Holy Spirit walks with you in suffering change the way you respond to trials?
Further Reading: Romans 8:18-26; Hebrews 4:15-16
Written by Jaclyn Mains
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