Footprints in the Sand
(Read James 1)
Have you ever had one of those days when you have to throw up your arms and just accept what is happening? No matter your plans, on this day, things just won’t be working out. Today was exactly that kind of day. There was no interview lined up for this week’s devotional, so I prayed to God asking what wisdom he would impart on me? I asked him what he thought I should write about and what we should learn? As I walked out of my office to grab a different Bible, James 1:7 flashed in my mind.
“If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.”
James 1:5-8
There were several men called James in the New Testament, but most Biblical experts believe that James was written by Jesus’ half-brother. James wasn’t always a great believer. It is said that it was only when James witnessed Christ’s resurrected appearance, that he converted (1 Corinthians 15:7). The early history of the church says that James was such a passionate man of prayer that his knees had large, thick calluses.
James teaches us that in life trials are inevitable. Whether an atheist or a follower of Christ won’t change this. James said “when” not “if” when it comes to trials in life. No one escapes them. As painful as they are, trials can be viewed as occasions for joy, not discouragement. The pain and angst from our trials produces much greater rewards than comfort.
This morning, I asked God for wisdom to provide some insight as to what this week’s devotional should focus on. James wrote that we always need to turn to God for wisdom. God’s wisdom is not the garden variety kind of knowledge we find in books, on the web, or on TV. His wisdom brings us closer to him. To understanding him.
“We are all so ready to go to books, to go to men, to go to ceremonies, to anything except to God… Consequently, the text does not say, ‘Let him ask books,’ nor ‘ask priests,’ but, ‘let him ask of God.’”
Charles Spurgeon
Trials create wisdom-seeking seasons from God. It’s only during our difficulties when we recognize our desperate need for wisdom. Sometimes God is trying to get our attention. Sometimes, he wants us to change something about ourselves; a habit, a lifestyle, a behavior. It requires God’s wisdom to help us discern the difference.
In one of our devotionals a few months ago, I alluded to a family conflict I’m enduring. It had probably been brewing for most of my life. Like the majority of family issues, they don’t appear spontaneously. Like all family issues, it’s awkward, disturbing, and deeply painful. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t think about it. Or pray about it.
In many ways, my Mom had become the central point in the family after our Dad passed away. We all loved her and relied on her for different shapes of support. Then, after my Mom died we had an instant vacuum. There were decisions, business decisions to make. The disagreements started that week. It was awful. We disagreed about her memorial service (which never happened), about her Obituary, and about her estate.
My Mom had been ill with Pancreatic Cancer for several months and I was praying fervently to God. I thought I knew better. I wasn’t praying for God’s wisdom, I was praying for her to be healed and for God to comfort and have mercy on her. As James wrote, when we ask God for something, and in this case, wisdom, he never withholds it. God is unceasingly generous with his wisdom. As long as we ask in sincere faith, “it will be given” to us.
The person who doesn’t believe, has doubts, or lacks faith, shouldn’t expect an answer from God because there is no foundation for Him to build upon. It’s like asking for an explanation when we’re not interested or listening in the first place. It’s an all-in approach. When James wrote that the double-minded shouldn’t expect they’re getting anything from God, he’s telling us that the process is a two-way street.
We will face trials. How we’re prepared for them and how we react when we’re in their midst depends upon our common ground with God. Ever since my family rift started, my relationship with my siblings has become shallow. When we talk, it’s superficial and usually evasive. I’m one of those people who lets guilt flourish inside. So invariably, I feel like the conflict is my fault. For months, I’ve been asking God how He could let this happen? Why would He do this to me? I’m a believer. I pray and read the Bible every day. I encourage others. Prior to Covid, I attended church weekly. So in my mind, I was a worthy follower of Christ and God still allowed this? That’s the thing, all believers and non-believers are worthy of trials.
I still don’t know what God is teaching my siblings or me through this trial. But through this experience, I’m growing in my connection to God’s will for me. I’m learning. I’m slowly shedding my shell and letting God’s grace in. I’m certainly not feeling joy out of the conflict, but I am feeling much closer to God’s presence through it all. God can let this happen, because I’m the same as my siblings. No matter who we are, our earthly lives will be full of hardships.
“Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation, but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field. For the sun rises and, together with the scorching wind, dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance perishes. In the same way, the rich person will wither away while pursuing his activities.
James 1:9-11
God doesn’t punish the rich or the boastful. He won’t put us down for being egotistical but he wants us to know that our behavior and selfish ways won’t earn any permanence in his kingdom. Trials serve to remind the easy going that though while comfortable in this life, it is still only this life. These temporary riches, will fade away like grass and flowers, dry out, and blow away.
If we put our identity into things that fade away, so will we. Whatever God gives us on earth, he can just as easily take it away. And even if God doesn’t remove our riches, he can still remove our ability to enjoy them. God wants us to place our identity, hope, and faith in things that cannot fade. If we’re rich in God, we’re rich forever.
There are times in my life when I really believed that maybe I could skate through without any serious tragedy or conflict. As James would say, it’s a “double-minded” attitude. It’s trusting in God but only far enough to make things easy on us. It has been almost 4 years and now my family hardly speaks. Only God knows why we’re going through this and only God sees how this period will refine us. I can ask God why me? Or I can ask God to walk beside me.
“One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.
After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.
This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
“Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You’d walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.”
Footprints in the Sand Poem
Key Applications:
- More than most other books in the New Testament, James shined a light on the necessity for us believers to act in accordance with our faith. How well do does your faith match up?
- Read James 1. Do you see parallels in your life to the insights he wrote about? What are you going to do about it? It’s never too late to change. Start today.
- Look back at the trials in your life. Have the scars produced any fruit in your spiritual life? Maybe you’ve counseled someone else who has experienced the same trials. Allow your trials to be learning stories for others.
Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.