When Obstacles Become Gold Mines
“Consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” — James 1:2–3
We don’t naturally associate joy with obstacles. The truth is, most trials we face feel like interruptions, setbacks, or even punishments. They hurt. They intrude. They distract. Yet James invites us to see them differently—not as meaningless suffering, intrusions, or distractions, but as sacred ground where God is at work.
Gold is never found lying on the surface. It is discovered through pressure, digging, and time. In the same way, faith that has never been tested remains shallow. But faith that passes through trials is strengthened, refined, and made complete.
James says the testing of our faith produces perseverance—and perseverance finishes its work so that we may be “mature and complete, lacking nothing.” What we experience as an obstacle, God is using as a process. What we endure as hardship, God is shaping into spiritual wealth.
This does not mean the pain is pleasant or the struggle easy. It means the struggle is not empty. God is not merely trying to get us through the trial; He is forming something within us.
So instead of only praying, “Lord, remove this,” we can also pray,
“Lord, do Your complete work in me here.”
The obstacle may still stand—but beneath it, we can come to understand that God may be forming a gold mine of endurance, wisdom, compassion, and deeper trust in Him through our trials.
Take a few minutes and consider:
- What trial am I currently facing?
- How might Godbe producing perseverance in me through it?
- What kind of spiritual "gold" could emerge if I let this trial finish its work in me?
Father, help me trust You in my trials and the challenges I'm facing. Give me eyes to see beyond the obstacle and faith to believe You are refining something precious in me. Let perseverance finish its work, and form in me a faith that is mature, complete, and grounded in You. Amen.
© 2026 Jan Ross
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