The Power of Trials: Humbling and Being Humbled

In Houston, we know all about heat waves. The humidity can sometimes raise the heat index ten degrees higher than it actually is. Our weather forecasts often include both actual temperatures and feels-like temperatures. At times, we experience seasons of drought when it becomes unlawful to run your sprinkler or even wash your car. Our otherwise flourishing yards can turn into wastelands. Flowers wither, and beauty perishes.

This is how James describes those who put their trust in earthly pursuits. Trials prove our faith like fire refines gold from ore. They separate the good from the bad, the heavenly from the earthly. This is why those who possess saving faith ask God for wisdom without doubting. They trust Him, not themselves. They rely on God, not man. They hold fast to heavenly wisdom, not worldly buyouts. With this in mind, James directs our attention to some very practical pictures.

“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits”

James 1:9-11

The polarization of the poor and the rich was a significant test for James’ readers. He addresses this issue multiple times in his epistle. The times must not have been so different from what we experience in America today. We pride ourselves on being a wealthy country, but we are not short on poverty. The gap between the rich and the poor is wide.

In America, the poor are often shunned and viewed as a nuisance, while the wealthy are revered as models of success and placed on pedestals. Our culture is led by pop culture, which celebrates excess, exalts money, encourages self-indulgence, and excuses immorality in favor of pursuing whatever desires one may have. You could say the American dream has morphed into an American nightmare.

Unfortunately, this “dream” has captivated the hearts of many Christians. Like the Pharisees of the New Testament, some leaders argue that wealth is an indicator of spirituality and God’s favor. They claim that the more wealth you have, the more spiritual and blessed you are.

In Jesus’ sermon contrasting these “spiritual” people, He taught us not to be like those hypocrites:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matt. 6:19-21

In the same sermon, He reminded believers to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus encouraged believers by reminding them that God is our provider and that our focus should be on Him and not on worldly things.

Still, money has a strange way of becoming our provider at times. So much so that we tend to have two masters if we are not careful. How we handle money, then, is a test. Some pursue riches in hopes of escaping the ordinary trials of life. But if you have ever known a wealthy person, you know that they are often full of troubles—trouble trusting friends, trouble with being robbed, and especially trouble with feeding their desires.

James has something to say about this: “Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation” (Ja. 1:9-10). There is something interesting to discover here in the Greek language. Bear with me; this might get a little technical, but it will pay off in the end. Trust me.

Being Humble

The words translated “lowly” and “humiliation” share the same root. One is an adjective, and the other is a noun. They both refer to a state of being low to the ground. This term was often used to describe slaves in that day—they were to sit at the foot or on the floor, as they were low people who lived just above the ground. In verse 9, “lowly” means “humble,” and in verse 10, “humiliation” means “being made humble.” Some translations render this as “poor,” so that the verses read, “Let the poor brother boast in his exaltation and the rich in his being made poor.” These translations substitute both words with “low” or “humble” based on the meanings provided above.

This brings a deeper sense to the passage. It reminds me of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” and “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:3, 5). In this sermon, Jesus contrasts the Pharisaical righteousness with genuine righteousness. He teaches what it means to have true salvation—something that most Pharisees lacked. The accumulation of things did not indicate salvation. In their case, it often indicated the opposite. It proved that their faith was in their own works and accomplishments. But Jesus throws this back in their faces and says that heaven belongs to the poor.

In the Sermon, the word “blessed” could easily be replaced with “saved” so that it reads, “Saved are those.” This was the point of the sermon. Jesus was teaching who inherits the kingdom of heaven. It is those who are poor and meek.

Now, before you get carried away with this, don’t run off and tell your pastor that I said you are going to heaven because you don’t make as much as the next guy. Remember that “poor” here is a reference to humility. The humble inherit the riches of salvation. The humble are blessed beyond measure because of the Lord’s provisions. This is indifferent to the size of the income check you receive each week. You can make one million dollars or one dollar, and it would make no difference to your eternal destination.

James’ point here is that our trials are powerful enough to bring about salvation. The exaltation of the humble refers to the lifting up from one’s low estate. It shows how Christ brings us up from our spiritual bankruptcy. Those who are already poor, financially speaking, are generally already humble. Why? Because they are humiliated by their needs. For them, trials are uplifting because they are God’s tools of salvation and sanctification. The rich, on the other hand, have no needs. They are not humbled. Therefore, they must be made humble.

Being Made Humble

The rich will be humbled by the removal of their things. James continues, “like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits” (James 1:10-11). On the one hand, this is a good reminder that God will humble the rich so that they are made perfect through trials. On the other hand, it is a strong warning to the rich: trust not in your possessions! A good friend of mine has this philosophy about money: Get rid of it quickly, or it will get rid of you! I like his thinking.

Do you remember the passage in Matthew 19 where Jesus is approached by the rich young man? He asks our Lord, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus, knowing that this man’s heart was set on his riches, said, “Sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” The man was saddened because he loved his riches and could not part with them. So he left sorrowfully and without salvation.

Jesus then seized the opportunity to teach His disciples: “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were troubled by this and wondered if anyone could be saved at all. Jesus confronted their wondering by saying, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:16-30).

The truth of the matter is this: a camel cannot go through the eye of a needle. It is so difficult that it is impossible, as Jesus puts it. This is why salvation is a work of God. Faith comes from God. Faith is worked by God. We are matured by God. Riches are not to be trusted. They cannot save us. Rather, as James says, they are here today and gone tomorrow. They look pretty and glossy today, but time will consume them. They are temporal and have no value in eternity. For this reason, a rich man who pursues these temporal things will fade away with them—he and his eternity.

Earthly wealth is fleeting. However, humility has enduring value. Trials have the power to uplift the humble and humble the self-lifted. They are not just tests of faith but tools in the hands of a sovereign God, used to mold and shape us into the image of Christ. For the poor, trials exalt them, lifting their eyes to the treasures of heaven. For the rich, trials humble them, stripping away the illusion of self-sufficiency and drawing them to reliance on God.

The true power of trials lies in their ability to reorient our hearts from the temporal to the eternal. Whether in want or in plenty, our ultimate treasure is found not in the fleeting riches of this world, but in the unsearchable riches of Christ. Learn to embrace your trials, recognizing them as God’s means of perfecting our faith and preparing us for the glory that is to come. In the end, it is not our earthly status or wealth that will endure, but our humble dependence on the One who holds all things in His hands.

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