Faith

Imagine being 75 years old, settled in a comfortable life, surrounded by family, friends, and traditions. Then one day, as you are going along, the Almighty God speaks to you and calls you to follow him in blind obedience. He asks you to leave your land, family, traditions, and everything you know behind and enter a new territory. On top of everything else, you live in a country filled with idol worship and don’t know the true God personally. I ask myself, would I say yes? Would I say “sure, I am not losing my mind, hearing voices, and I will abandon my family, town, culture, and language and go into a land that God will show me”? Abraham did just this. While he experienced a couple of setbacks in obedience at the beginning, he eventually made progress. We know the story. He obeyed, and in old age, he had a son, and through that son, a great nation was born. True, there were some setbacks along the way, but God’s plan always prevails, and what God wills comes to fruition.
What would my life look like if I had the faith of Abraham, Daniel, Joseph, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den because he would not stop praying to God. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Later, after serving in the palace, he was thrown into prison and forgotten. Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace because they would not abandon their faith and belief in God by worshipping an idol set up by King Nebuchadnezzar.
All these examples show us the power of unwavering faith in God. Where does this power come from? Today, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, alive in our hearts, if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior. However, I believe that true faith develops over time and through a relationship with God. Yes, the Holy Spirit helps us, but He does not wave a magic wand, and faith appears. Faith is work and takes time. God is personal and wants to be involved in our lives. He is patient and works on our faith life a little at a time. Joseph’s first time living in faith was not in prison. I am sure there were times along his life’s journey (being sold by his brothers as an example) when his faith started to develop. Each hardship and trial built on the last so that when the day came and he found himself imprisoned, he could believe in God and trust him. He served God in prison by helping the guards and other prisoners. Not only did he trust God during this time, but he also strove to be useful to God.
I don’t know why Abraham believed and obeyed God. He had no personal history with God. Maybe he had begun to wonder about the creator of the universe instead of the idols that surrounded him. It appears that God took the initiative in the relationship with Abraham. In any case, he did believe and was obedient. My other examples did know about God from their childhoods. They had heard the stories of God’s faithfulness, goodness, and truth. Knowing about God is not the same as knowing God. Each of these men had to undergo their faith journey and learn to trust in God.
Daniel came out of the lion’s den unharmed. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fiery furnace without a hair on their heads singed. Joseph was released from prison and given a place of prominence in the palace. God rewarded their faith in miraculous ways. What do we do if our faith goes unrewarded in this way? What happens if the prayers we say seem to go unanswered, the healing doesn’t come, and the addiction takes the life of a loved one? Did God not reward our faith? Did we not have enough faith? Does God care about us as much as the people who do receive answers the way they desire? Not even close! We will never completely understand God’s ways; his ways are not our ways. We must believe in his perfection and sovereignty.
We may not see miraculous answers to our acts of faith. However, we will grow closer to God in our relationship. We can cultivate inner peace and joy in our hearts as we navigate these journeys. Through the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, we can face difficulties with resilience and strength and have God’s wisdom in our lives. Faith enables us to know that we are never alone, and this awareness empowers us to live in freedom. These are all ways faith rewards us in this life. There is also a life to come – eternity. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the one who endures trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” Our faith is rewarded here and in the future.
It is false theology to believe that God will not give you more than you can handle. The Bible does not say this. Christianity is not about self-sufficiency, but about faith, trust, and reliance on God to help in every situation. It is all about God’s grace to us. We will face some situations that seem unbearable and overwhelming. We will not be able to handle them on our own. No number of positive thoughts and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps will help you. Only turning to God and His faithfulness in these times will carry you through. You must have faith.
Studying the Bible and seeing God’s faithfulness through the living word can encourage our hearts to keep believing. I have a stack of Bible promises that I go through, especially when my faith is wavering. Psalm 91 is one of my favorite psalms for encouragement in God’s faithfulness. Sharing your stories with others can encourage them to persevere in trust, belief, and faith. Satan wants to keep us discouraged and lose faith. He knows that God loves us and is here for us; he wants us to question God’s goodness and to forget the times when God sustains us.
What would my life look like with deeper faith? Honestly, I don’t know. I am sure the heroes of faith did not think their lives would take the twists and turns that they encountered. They may not have felt prepared to overcome the trials and difficulties they met. But, one day at a time, with trust and belief in the Almighty God, they lived to bring glory and honor to God. We can do the same today.
You may feel like you are wandering around, looking for direction, or as if you have entered a lion’s den. Circumstances and people are trying to tear you apart. Perhaps you feel as though you are in a fiery furnace, where everything around you is trying to burn you and take the very breath from your lungs. Trust in God’s faithfulness as these great heroes of faith demonstrated for us. You may feel abandoned, but God, who created you, has not abandoned you. Difficulties of life forge our faith. Press into God’s presence and let faith grow and flourish.
Reliance on the Holy Spirit and belief in God’s faithfulness to sustain and help us overcome will build our faith one day and one trial at a time.