Consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials of many kinds, because…the testing of your faith produces perseverance. —James 1:2-3

Click here to read today’s Scripture: James 1:1-12

 There comes a moment in every believer’s journey when faith meets resistance, a sacred turning point I call the Divine Hour. It’s that place where obedience to God begins to cost something heavy. For Jesus, that hour came immediately after  He raised Lazarus from the dead. Many of the Jews present believed in Him, but others ran to report to the Pharisees what they had seen (John 11:1-46). “So from that day on they plotted to take His life” ( v. 53). The same act of compassion that revealed His divinity also provoked opposition. Yet Jesus kept walking toward the cross because His purpose outweighed persecution.

For me, that hour came when I had to forgive someone who had caused me great pain in my marriage. I remember standing in the place of worship, my heart torn between hurt and obedience. Everything in me resisted the idea of reaching out, but I felt God whisper, “This is your hour.” Facing that person was not easy, yet in that moment, grace became stronger than pride. I extended my hand and said the words God placed on my heart, then I embraced the person and said, “I forgive you.” Somehow, God made it possible.

Our divine hours often arrive disguised as rejection, misunderstanding, or pain. They test our surrender and reveal the depth of our faith. James 1:2 tells us to “consider it pure joy” when trials come, not because they feel good, but because they produce perseverance and maturity in us. When you choose truth, some will turn away and abandon you. When you walk in light, darkness will react. But that’s not failure, it’s confirmation that you’re following Christ.

Your divine hour may be the moment you forgive instead of retaliate, or stay faithful when others give up, or when you whisper, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” God uses these moments not to break us but to refine us and seal our faith in Him.

Reflect: Are you facing your divine hour right now? How might this challenge be refining your faith in Christ?

Prayer Starter: 

Lord Jesus, strengthen me to stand firm in my divine hours. Let my life mirror Your faithfulness and bring glory to Your name. 

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