Believing in God's sovereignty and recognizing His purpose of manifesting His glorious character, Christians can respond to the situations of life with a soul-rest that is inexplicable to those in the world around us. We are not to respond with the escapism of attempted deliverance, or the asceticism of withdrawal from the world. Nor are we to react with the fatalism of acquiescence, the stoicism of painful endurance, or the survivalism of trying to cope with the struggles of life.
The world may try to "grin and bear it" with encouraging mottoes such as, "Don't worry; be happy," while some religion advises that we should just "Praise the Lord anyway!" but these are just techniques of avoidance which attempt to overlook the problems. Christians, on the other hand, can see with the clear vision of faith that God is providentially at work in all circumstances. Like Paul, we can "be content in whatever circumstances we find ourselves" (Phil. 4:11).
Only as the Christian accepts all circumstances as God's providential opportunities and is secure in God's provision in the midst of all situations can he respond to all things with gratitude and thanksgiving. Paul exhorted the Thessalonian Christians, saying, "In everything give thanks" (I Thess. 5:18), and encouraged the Ephesians to "give thanks for all things" (Eph. 5:20). The Greek word for "giving thanks" is eucharisteo, meaning "good grace." As Christians "give thanks," they recognize the "good grace" of God in all circumstances. Only from this perspective does James' admonition make sense, when he admonishes his readers, "Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials" (James 1:2). He is not saying, "Be happy when bad things befall you," but is advising the Christian brethren that "the testing of their faith" produces the endurance that "perseveres under trial" (James 1:11) as they recognize the sufficient grace of God in every experience. Peter, likewise, encourages his readers to "rejoice, even though you have been distressed by various trials, .rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory" (I Peter 1:6,8).
This "joy inexpressible" in the midst of trials is the privilege of every Christian who knows that "we are more than conquerors through Him Who loves us" (Rom. 8:37), and "overcomes" (Rev. 2:7; 3:21) all things by the strength of Christ, the Overcomer.
The Christian life is certainly not problem-free. We can expect, even welcome, circumstances that unexpectedly "pierce our status quo" and by which we are examined concerning whether we will respond with the dependence of faith. When we encounter these "speed bumps" that threaten to "upset our apple cart," we may have initial perplexity (II Cor. 4:8), distress (Lk. 12:50), or a "troubled soul" (Jn. 12:27; 13:21), but then we recognize the sufficiency of Christ within our spirit and respond with the faith that allows Him to bring rest to our souls. Christ in us is panic-proof. He does not get frantic and over-react to the trials of life by going into hysteria or having a nervous breakdown. In the midst of turmoil Christ brings peace and rest to our souls as the oil of the Holy Spirit is poured on the troubled waters of life.
James Fowler