When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone
- James 1:13

Why do you think it matters to James if we believe that God is tempting us or if God can be tempted by evil?

Let’s try two thought-experiments.

Suppose God could be tempted by evil and gave into it. The change in him would reverberate throughout the cosmos, since he made and sustains all of it. Our great ally would become our great enemy or, perhaps worse, we would find ourselves following him in common cause with all that’s evil in the world. How could we trust this God?

Or suppose God took joy in tempting us. All of the ancient gods practiced these deceptive arts. They’d ask humans to do something and then punish them if they obeyed. If God did this to us, we’d have to constantly be on our guard around him. How could we trust this God?

James wants us to know that God can be trusted.

In times of trial, we need to know that we can turn to God with full confidence: confident in his goodness, confident in his generosity, confident that he wants what’s best for us.

What challenges do you face when it comes to trusting God in times of trial? When have you been able to trust God in a trying time? What difference did that trust make?