“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
In my late twenties and early thirties, I had two friends with whom I went camping and hiking twice each year. As we were trying to avoid insects and snakes, we would go late in the fall and early in the spring. Sometimes we would experience wonderfully warm weather; sometimes it was cold and rainy; the rest were somewhere in between. Together we enjoyed great vistas, got lost on poorly marked trails, endured wet sleeping bags and very cold showers (as it was off season in the parks), joking about each other’s quirks, met some nice folks and feared a few; but mostly we grew closer through the shared experiences and evenings by the campfire. Two of the three of us are probably too infirmed to tolerate those trips now, but they will ever live in our memories and be a bond that draws us together.
The walk of faith is a lot like that. Sometimes we feel great about our faith and our relationship with God. Other times we have more questions than answers and feel a distance between ourselves and our Lord. There are the seasons when the battles are raging around us or temptation seems to be impossible to withstand. Some stretches of our journey seem so clearly marked and well defined while others just don’t make sense and we find ourselves doubting and lost. In short the path of sanctification is usually a winding road. While we may understand that God is moving us closer to Him and leading us to our Heavenly home, it’s often difficult for us to see or feel any sense of progress from our limited vantage point with incomplete information. To that end, there are some situations and their related promises that we would do well to ponder carefully in order to maintain clarity.
Confusion often leads us to throw up our hands in frustration and feel like perseverance has no value. It may be caused by a situation that is difficult and appears to have no value. Our lack of understanding may be similar to the Ethiopian eunuch who needed Philip to explain the scripture that He was reading. Another possibility may be that we have a decision to make, but feel no clear direction. In times like these we look to passages like these while seeking guidance through scripture, prayer and wise counsel: “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33); “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1); “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (John 14:26)
When God feels distant, remember His promise to be near us: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18) and “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18) God may be waiting for us to “draw near to Him” or return to Him, or He may be quietly working on our behalf despite the fact that we do not sense it. In all these, He is always near and watching over us.
When we sin, we often act like Adam and Eve and try to hide or we just feel like we don’t measure up and God couldn’t possibly love us. In this there are two things to recall. First, when we accepted Christ, God forgave our sins…all of them… past, present and future. The second is that Satan is the accuser and is ready to help our doubt and fear to side line us or choke out our faith. Consequently, it is imperative to remember God’s assurance: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Yes we need to be obedient and correct the sin in our lives, but we also need to trust that we are secure in our relationship with God.
Sometimes we feel weak or are in fact weak. It may be spiritual, it may be physical or it may be due to temptation that stands before us. In all of these, God has again provided His assurance to sustain us. “He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power.” (Isaiah 40:29) “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13) “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6) Trust in God’s strength rather than your own.
Finally, there are times when we are in turmoil. It comes in many forms: it may be that we are being personally attacked; maybe is it due to spiritual warfare or maybe we have just let our fears and doubts get out of control. Again we have God’s direction and comfort in His word. “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6) “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:11-12) By using the tools that God has given us, maintaining our relationship with Him, keeping an eternal focus and dwelling on God’s truth rather than our thoughts, we will be victorious. Our circumstances may not turn out as we will, but we will be victorious in that God’s perfect will will be accomplished and the endurance yields stronger faith.
Like the weekends with my friends, the end result is greater than the sum of the experiences. As we persevere through every situation, trial, doubt, weakness, etc., God is at work for His glory and our good, our relationship with Him is deepened and we are growing in strength, grace and wisdom until the day that we are united with God. God never describes the walk of faith as an easy stroll but rather a race of endurance with a great prize at the end. The good news is that the prize is not just for one, but for all who endure.
To that end, let us let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that we will not grow weary and lose heart.
Will