In the Crucible of Life
Beloved People of God,
A few weeks ago, I was translating my way devotionally through James’ first chapter, and the twelfth verse floored me. In past translations, I spent more time focused on the nouns and adjectives, the keywords James draws our attention to through repetition: blessed (connecting us back to his brother Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount), trials and the crown of life. These are all powerful terms worthy of our attention. But this time, as if the words were lifting off the page, I discovered a carefully written chiasm hidden in plain sight, composed in the verbs’ time signatures. Let me explain.
In the Old Testament, the biblical authors frequently used the literary device known as chiasm, to draw our attention to their main points, while simultaneously making their ideas easier to remember. When the first words and the last words mirror each other, the second and second to last do too, all surrounding a central idea. If you can remember half, you can easily recall the whole thing. This is what James does in verse 12. Here’s a slightly amplified translation:
“Blessed is the man who endures [remains steadfast] trials because, having been tested [proved], he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.”
Did you catch how he strategically moves us back and forth through time? He begins and ends with the present, then draws us back to the past, and places the future at the heart of his encouragement. We could illustrate it this way: Present → Past→ Future ← Past ← Present.
As Jesus’ disciples, living in the present, we find our blessedness as we endure and love Him. We may feel pulled in all kinds of directions, exhausted by the trials and tribulations around us, but if we stand fast in Jesus, loving Him and devoting our present focus to Him, we discover a shift. We are taken back in time, where our present endurance appears before the Lord as if it has already been tested and proved, anchored in His promise. And what is this past promise given to us? The promise is the uplifted crown of life we will receive in the future. Today, in the crucible of life, let’s remember God’s past promises of the eternal life that awaits us in His glory.
For Christ the King,
Brett