“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.” Hebrews 11:1-2
Over the course of my life, I’ve encountered a wide variety of individuals. Most of these events are buried in the recesses of my mind as they had little noticeable impact. The encounters that I do remember are the ones that were: repetitive, damaging, unexpected, uplifting, or loving as they left a significant mark on my life. At the top of the list of memorable encounters are my encounters with God. Encounters with the Lord come in a wide variety and are perfectly tailored to the people involved as well as the need. They may be direct encounters as Noah, Abraham or Moses experienced; through His messengers as was the case with Mary and Joseph; through a grand event as Paul’s conversion or the more subtle work of the Holy Spirit. No matter what form our encounter takes, we can be certain of one thing: we will never be the same afterward for we will either trust the character of God and draw closer to Him or we will reject Him in disbelief and pull away.
The Request
Every encounter with God involves a double-edged request and an offer. There is the subtle request to trust Him, the more obvious request to relinquish something, and the promise of something greater. Consider for example Christ’s offer of salvation. He asks us to believe in Him; He requires that we put to death the earthly tendencies within us and live according to His precepts; and He offers the extraordinary intangible benefits of salvation, Christ’s righteousness, unity with God, and life everlasting. In short, we give up what we know for what we cannot fully comprehend or, as Paul puts it: “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”. Having put their hope in God, Mary and Joseph were called to a higher level of trust. While it was truly an honor for Mary to be chosen to give birth to God’s Son and Joseph to assume the role of His earthly father, their choices to accept God’s plan for them involved considerable physical and social risks that would require great faith in God for an “honor” that could not be fully understood. Because of their trust in God’s faithfulness and His ability to provide for them, Mary responded with “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38) and Joseph “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus” (Matthew 1:24-25). Individually and as a couple, they have given us a wonderful example of faith in that they gave up the “safe” life that they had planned for an uncertain life trusting that God was both able and faithful to provide for all of their needs. In those decisions, they chose to live for the glory of God rather than their earthly benefit and were better for it.
The Rejection
For obvious reasons, rejecting God is never good and yet I fear that we do it more than we think. At one end of the spectrum, Judas Iscariot had the same invitation as the other disciples, yet he rejected that path and in the end it was said of him “woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.” (Matthew 26:24) For those who reject God’s offer of salvation, the results are similar in that they will experience eternal damnation. However, those are the more easily discerned examples. Consider a more subtle one at the other end of the spectrum. We are called to be joyful in all circumstances for this is God’s will for us. However, when we complain about our circumstances, we rebel and refuse God’s request to trust Him and His offer of spiritual peace. While we may not be rejecting God completely, we inhibit both His refining work within us and the relationship with our Lord. That distance leads to frustration, anguish, bitterness and spiritual immaturity. Our circumstances may truly be dire, but trusting in our Lord and obediently serving Him will make all the difference both in this life and the one to come.
The Agreement
Agreeing to God’s offers…His will for our life… does not mean that things will be easy as our personal comfort takes a back seat to our eternal well-being. Mary and Joseph had to flee to Egypt, most of the disciples were martyred, John was exiled and of course our Lord died on the cross bearing our sin. To this day, the persecuted church endures threats of all kinds. As civilized as our lives may be, we too are called to yield to God’s requests in various ways that may be painful; sometimes for our refinement, sometimes for the befit of others, but always for God’s glory and our eternal good. However, as we yield to our Lord’s desires, we are rewarded with unwarranted peace, a closer relationship with Him in this life, and the hope of greater reward in the life to come. When we encounter God and yield to His request, we will be called to trust and to sacrifice, but the benefits will be far greater than we can think or imagine.
Having grown up in the church, I have heard the story of Christ’s birth at least annually since I was a child. Yet it was not until I studied the story of Mary in the context of my illness that I truly appreciated Mary’s response. It has challenged me to yield all to my Lord…and does still. Our relationship with our God is much more than escaping Hell. It’s about accepting His call to action without reservation; it’s living the life He gives us with joy; it’s giving up the selfish life the world tells us we deserve for the reward our savior promises in the life to come; it’s trusting our God; it’s living a life of faith in our God, our Redeemer, our Comforter knowing that He is faithful to provide both in this life and the one to come. It is living the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
Will
If interested, here is the backstory for “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”
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