How to Find Joy in Hard Times When Life Doesn’t Make Sense

“Count it all joy” sounds impossible when you’re in the middle of loss, hardship, or a season that makes no sense. So does James really mean you have to feel happy when bad things happen? In the first message of our new series through the book of James, Pastor Jack walks through James 1:1-4 and what it means to count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds. He explains why joy is not celebrating the circumstance but rejoicing in the sovereignty of God, and how Job’s story and Psalm 23:4 show a God who is in control and with us in the valley. Over the next five weeks, Pastor Jack, Pastor Drew, and Pastor Keith will walk through the book of James together. Scripture: James 1:1-5, 12 | Job 38 | Isaiah 55:9 | Psalm 23:4 | 1 Peter 1:6-7 | Hebrews 12:1-2 In this message: • Who James was: the half-brother of Jesus, writing to scattered and suffering believers • Why “trials of various kinds” includes every kind of hardship, not just the small ones • What “count it all joy” does and doesn’t mean: you can grieve and still have joy • What God’s answer to Job and Isaiah 55:9 teach about trusting God beyond what we understand • Why Psalm 23:4 says “you are with me” in the valley of the shadow of death • Why trials work like resistance training for endurance • Faith tested like gold in the fire (1 Peter 1:6-7) • Looking to Jesus, who endured the cross “for the joy that was set before Him” (Hebrews 12:1-2) • An action step you can do today: write a “thank you God” list This is part one of our series through James, Attitudes of the Heart. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow us online: Instagram:   / centerbethel   Facebook:   / centerbethel   TikTok:   / centerbethel   Listen to our Podcast:    / faithinculture   Give: https://www.centerbethel.com/give ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0:00 Introduction, welcome to the James series Attitudes of the Heart 1:27 James 1:1-4 read 1:56 Who was James? The half-brother of Jesus writing to suffering believers 2:59 “Count it all joy” when you meet trials of various kinds 3:58 Trials are inevitable, so what attitude will we take? 5:05 Does joy mean you have to feel happy? No 6:20 The book of Job: a conversation in the throne room of heaven 8:05 Job 38: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” 9:31 Isaiah 55:9 and trusting God beyond our understanding 11:37 Psalm 23:4, God is with us in the valley 12:06 God is with us: Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Gideon, and Jesus’ promise 13:08 Spurgeon on looking back at times of trial 14:14 James 1:3-4: let endurance have its full effect, and Paul’s thorn 16:39 Walking through the trial with God, and the New Living Translation 18:28 James 1:5: ask God for wisdom, and the at-home workout story 19:34 1 Peter 1:6-7: faith more precious than gold 21:21 Gold in the furnace: God producing Christ-likeness in us 22:36 Hebrews 12:1-2: run the race looking to Jesus 24:27 The gospel, the reason we can count it all joy 25:54 James 1:12 and closing 26:24 Action step: write a “thank you God” list 27:34 Closing prayer #centerbethel #joy #attitude #hardtimes #trustingod #christianencouragement