Trials and Faith

I was recently reading a book and one of the characters was talking about faith and brought up some interesting things to think about. Is faith really faith until it’s tested? It’s one thing to claim we have faith, but it’s another to actually put it into practice. What is faith? The top two definitions on dictionary.com are “confidence or trust in a person or thing” and “belief that is not based on proof”. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The rest of Hebrews 11 goes on to name various men and women in the Bible who had faith in God and lived it not just when times were easy, but especially in the difficult times. Really, if you read through Hebrews 11, most of the people listed and the things that did that were noted as times they were faithful weren’t when life was easy. Most were difficult times when it was easier to doubt or give up. Some died because they would not renounce their faith. Others were required to do things that didn’t make sense at the time. I’m sure the people of Israel were pretty confused when God told them to march around the city of Jericho rather than attack it. Jericho stood in their way and marching around the walls just didn’t make sense. Looking back, I’d bet that it was a lot more clear, but at the time it took faith for them to follow Joshua and march. Abraham and Sarah had faith that God would give them a son even though they had to wait until they were very old before Sarah was able to conceive. They weren’t perfect and their faith faltered. They tried to “help” God by having Abraham have a son with Sarah’s maid, and while that did produce a son, it just messed up the situation. Eventually, in God’s time, Sarah did conceive the son that God had promised. And then God asked the unthinkable of Abraham. He asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise. Abraham had faith that God would either allow his son to be spared at the last minute (which is what happened) or that God would raise him from the dead. What God asked of Abraham didn’t make sense. Why would God make Abraham and Sarah wait so long for this son who was to be the father of many nations only to take him away? Even though it didn’t make sense, Abraham had faith in God and acted on it by obeying. Acts 6 and 7 talk about Jesus’ disciples choosing men to help them in the ministry. One of them mentioned was Stephen who was described as being full of faith. The religious leaders of that day did not like the message of Jesus Christ that Stephen was sharing and ended up stoning him. Even knowing that holding onto his faith meant a death sentence, he never let go of his faith or denied it. He died the way he lived, full of faith. His death didn’t make sense. Stephen could have done so much good had he lived. The writer of Acts chose to write a small detail in the account of Stephen’s stoning that you might miss in a first read, but as you continue reading, it makes more sense. He mentioned that a young man named Saul kept the coats of the people stoning Stephen. Saul went on to make it his life’s mission to persecute Christians…until God got ahold of him. Once he was listening to God, I’m sure he remembered Stephen and the words he spoke and the faith he lived. Saul changed his name to Paul and became the first missionary. Those are just a few of the many people in the Bible who lived out their faith in difficult and even deadly times.

What does faith mean in my life? In 2 Timothy, Paul wrote to Timothy regarding his faith and how was passed down from Timothy's grandmother to his mother and from his mother to him. Yes, each person much choose for themselves whether or not they trust God and place their faith in him, but if you’re taught that faith from the time you’re a young child, it comes more naturally. Like Timothy's family, the legacy of faith in God has been passed down for many generations of my family, and I pray that one day that faith will be taken to heart by my son. Back to Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” I have never seen God physically, but I have seen Him work. I’ve seen the amazing things He’s created. I’ve seen His miraculous healing. It’s easy to be disheartened at Walter Reed seeing the results of some of the worst that mankind can do to each other. Many are here due to explosions from rockets, IEDs, and RPGs. Those were used to maim and kill our soldiers. Not only did they cause physical damage, they hurt the morale of those who weren’t injured and took their minds off the mission. But that is only part of the story of Walter Reed. People come here badly damaged. Some came and the families were called and told to say their good-byes, yet the soldiers are still alive years later. I don’t believe in the TV “faith healers” and people who make a big show and want your money. I do believe that God works miracles and sometimes uses modern medicine to accomplish them. I’ve seen those miracles. I’m married to one of them.

I have had my faith tested over the past 15 months. I won’t claim to have handled every situation in a Christ-like manner. I’m human after all. I will never be perfect while I’m here on earth. We just have to do our best, ask God to help us do better, and ask for forgiveness when we fail. Some of what my family and I have been through doesn’t make sense. James 1:2-3 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” I can’t say that I’m always joyful regarding the trials I’ve been through. I try not to complain too much, and after I’ve had my pity party and have gotten out the frustration, I do try to find that silver lining. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” I have trouble with this one sometimes. I know to know what’s ahead and be able to plan for it. God’s definitely been working with me on this one because I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I can’t plan for what will happen a few months from now. Things are a little more stable now than they were a year ago when I couldn’t plan things even one week in advance, but there is still quite a bit of uncertainty. The road we’re on has been bumpy and confusing, but we haven’t had to walk it alone. Sometimes I ask God “why me?” or “why us?” Why are we going through these tough times? We were happy before. Justin was doing well with his unit. We had a church that we were involved in. Our son was thriving. Why? It just doesn’t make sense. I may never fully know why God has brought us to this place in life, but I have faith that He will help us through the tough times…He’s helped us through many already. Sometimes I need to be reminded to “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) Psalm 28:7 says, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.” No matter how bad things get, I know that I can place my trust – my faith – in God and He will help me. I couldn’t have gotten through this without that faith. This part of our journey isn’t over, but God was there for us yesterday, today, and will be there forever, and only He can bring true peace in the midst of the storms of life and bring joy when things are dark and difficult.