Tested Faith

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. (James 1:2-3)

How do we fair when things are a little bit too difficult or different from the 'ordinary' in our lives? If there is uncertainty looming, where do we turn? The answer to those two questions can show us a great deal about where it is we place our trust and on whom we 'rely' when the times are a bit challenging. Panic setting in, or a peace that seems to envelop you - which one best and most often describes you? 

When our faith is being tested, it is an opportunity for God to demonstrate his power and grace. If we face difficulties in 'panic mode', we frequently take things into our own hands. In other words, we jump right out of God's arms and attempt to take control of the situation, leaving God somewhere 'back there'. Get out ahead of God's power and you might just find yourself facing some pretty tough stuff without the wherewithal to deal with it!

Some things we should keep in mind:

- Our faith isn't tested because God has it in for us. It is being tested because God wants to strengthen that reliance upon him, not our reliance upon others or ourselves.

- The testing of our faith is an opportunity to grow closer to God than we ever have been before. If we embrace the test, we are likely to discover things about God and ourselves that we really didn't fully grasp prior to the test.

- Our plan may not always work when it comes to facing the hardships of life. The closer we get to Jesus in the times of testing means the less we rely upon our own plans and devices to work through those hardships. 

- Character is most frequently developed in the 'hard places' in life. It seldom comes when we aren't 'stretched' or 'stressed' a bit. Character is the result of a 'tested faith'. To resist the testing is to resist the growth God desires. Just sayin!

Kneel First, Stand Second

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!" (Job 19:25-27)

One of my favorite worship songs is "My Redeemer Lives" by Hillsong Worship. Some of my favorite words in those lyrics are, "My shame, He's taken away, My pain is healed in His name", as they speak volumes about how God works in our lives. Job was plagued by the loss of family, livestock, worldly possessions, and even his own health. Yet, in the moments of his greatest external and internal conflict, he stands assured his Redeemer lives and all will one day be well again in his life. He has been buffeted by everything that should have 'taken him down', but he stands! 

We might find ourselves buffeted by what life throws our way, but we can stand strong in the knowledge that nothing we 'lose' is going to 'do us in'. We have the living, breathing God of the universe within us. As children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we stand in the face of adversity, buffeted, but not beaten. God's greatest desire is for us to 'see with our own eyes' his grace and goodness. He doesn't want us to just experience him through 'second-hand' religion. As the worship song continues, "You lift my burdens, I'll rise with You. I'm dancing on this mountain top, to see Your kingdom come..." This sounds a bit like Job's declaration, doesn't it?

There are going to be those moments when we feel like life is crumbling in around us and we just might not want to go on any longer but remember this - your Redeemer stands stronger than whatever is buffeting you at this moment! We may not fully understand the burdens we are bearing right now, but he knows exactly how to lift them. We may not understand why we are in such a pit of despair, but he has the power to put us on mountain tops once again. Our stance in the midst of the darkest places should be to stand, but before we stand, we may have to kneel a bit! Just sayin!