Persevering Joyfully - All Our Daily Bread Daily Devotionals for 2026

Bible in a Year : Psalms 70-71, Romans 8:22-39

The testing of your faith produces perseverance.
James 1:3

Today's Scripture & Insight : James 1:1-4

I was ‘baptised’ into boating when I attempted sailing for the first time in the warm Aegean Sea. I capsized my small dinghy six times during the first lesson alone, taking my unfortunate instructor down with me. It was total immersion, sometimes with a mouthful of seawater! I’d right the boat and then clamber, exhausted from the effort, back on board to—within minutes—fall in again. Yet through the repeated dousing, I eventually became able to sail a boat on my own.

For me, sailing required considerable perseverance. When James encouraged scared, suffering Christians “scattered among the nations” (1:1) to persevere, he used the word hupomone, which means cheerful or hopeful endurance (v. 3).

I can’t say I naturally feel “pure joy” (v. 2) in the midst of my trials, but I do know that the promised rewards—like sailing independently—help me not to give up. We can only persevere joyfully when we know we’re heading towards something better.

In our Christian walk, too, our joy is not in the trials themselves, but in their outcome: one day becoming “mature and complete, not lacking anything” (v. 4). Yet often, when the road gets hard, we are tempted to settle for less than God’s best.

The ultimate fulfilment of our hope will be in heaven. But today we can draw closer to God, knowing Him better and becoming more like Him, even through our trials.

By: Adrian Smith

Reflect & Pray
When have you experienced God at work in your trials? How could his promises for our future help you persevere with hope and joy?

Compassionate Lord, thank You for always being with me in my trials. Help me to keep my hope fixed on You.