Unwavering Trust in God
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”
Hebrews 11:1-3 ESV
Sometimes, God will allow circumstances to happen that will cause you to take another look at the faith you profess to have.
Consider John the Baptist. A man who was not afraid to speak truth to those in power. A man separated for a purpose that would change the course of humanity.
He would point out the Messiah to the world.
He fulfilled this purpose and then he found himself in prison because of the rage of a king he spoke truth to.
“He replied to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news, and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.”
Luke 7:22-23 CSB
Consider Elija; Elijah returned to fulfill prophecy. (Matthew 11:14)
A prophet of God who executed his office with integrity. A prophet who continually called the nation of Israel to repentance.
A prophet who locked the heavens (in a manner of speaking), and there was no rain in Israel for three and a half years.
A prophet who called for a contest to prove once and for all that the Lord is God, and God answered by fire.
See this prophet now hiding in a cave because of the rage of a queen slighted by his efforts to bring about a spiritual reform in Israel.
Two times, the Lord asked this prophet, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
The prophet’s response? “It is enough, Lord, just take my life!” (1 Kings 19:4).
Consider the disciples. They believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. He was the Messiah, the one who would bring the freedom they had been waiting for. He was the fulfillment of prophecy.
And then they watched as He was arrested, tried, sentenced, and executed.
Jesus had told them that this would happen and also that He would rise again after three days.
How did the disciples respond though, in the throes of the dark hours? They went into hiding!
The Scripture is full of examples of people who faced difficult times because of their faith in God and their standing with Him.
Compromise could have been an easy way out, but to what end?
Could Daniel not have stopped praying for a while, or maybe even hide to pray? Surely, God would have understood!
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could have just bowed for the sake of appearances, but not with their hearts? They surely could have sorted themselves out with God after.
The Hebrew midwives could have chosen to protect themselves by obeying the Egyptian king who had told them to kill the Hebrew boys at birth.
The Apostles and the early Church could have stopped preaching because of the severe persecution they faced.
We can think of many ways these stories could have ended had they chosen the path of compromise, and none of those endings would have been happy!
We can learn from the examples of those who have run this race before us.
Hebrews 11 tells us that we are not alone, even in those times when we are forced to look again at what we say we believe. We are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses.
Maybe this is a test to prove the truth of your belief, so that what will not endure and stand the test of time would fall away and only what is unshakeable would remain.
Maybe this is creating depth and building capacity for the purpose that God has designed and ordained for you.
Don’t be afraid to look again but what you cannot afford to do at this time is to let go; not after all that God has already brought you through.
Remember the works of God that you have seen, even in your life, and do not be offended in Him.
We know for certain that God does not abandon us.
He is with us always.
He will not deny Himself.
And who knows what He’s bringing to pass in your life. It will be marvelous in our eyes; trust Him and run this race to the end.
Let Him finish His work in you.
We know that He cannot fail, and that He will not fail you.
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