Faith in Jesus gives purpose to afflictions

The trials and difficulties of life are not to ruin God’s people but to bring out the life of Christ in us. When God pushes me to the edge, His purpose is to push me away from reliance upon myself so that I not only rely on Him, but the life I live is obviously not my old life but the new live He has given me. The Apostle Paul wrote about this:

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.” (2 Corinthians 4:8–12)

This does not mean that the death of Jesus puts the ‘Jesus in me’ to death but that His death has the power to abolish my old life of self-rule. He died to bless me with the power to die, not for the sins of the world like He died but die to the sins of myself. In doing that, His life in me begins to shine.

Usually I cannot see it — I live by faith not by sight — but others can see it. For this reason, the Bible says when death is at work in God’s people, life is at work in those who see what is happening. I cannot demand this, predict it, or make it happen. This is the work of God. My work is to let Him have His way in me through affliction, perplexity, persecution, being struck down, carrying in my body the death of Jesus so that His life may shine forth. Again, I live by faith, trusting Him to use me in this sometimes-painful life of both dying and living.

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Lord Jesus Christ, You are the master of both. You are victorious in both dying and rising to new life. In You, I am more than a conqueror. I am set free from the indignation of not being able to rule my own life and given the remarkable contentment of trusting You to do it for me.

Praise the Lord, oh my soul, oh my soul. Bless His holy name. Sing like never before, oh my soul. Bless His holy name!

Remember Lot’s wife

In Luke 17:32, Jesus speaks about total commitment, about faith that endures no matter what. From the same account, Matthew writes in detail what Jesus was asking for. Both passages go beyond the ‘nice life’ many Christians speak of.

Jesus’ words seem to describe what is happening today. All over the world, but particularly in the Middle East, believers are being persecuted and dying because they name Jesus as Savior and Lord. And Jesus calls them as He called His disciples to great endurance.

As I read the following long passage, I thought of my petty complaints, desire for comfort and convenience, and how little I’ve suffered because I believe in Jesus. Should the city we are in right now suddenly declare Christianity illegal and punishable by death, would I endure to the end? Can I pass the tests? Or would I wind up a pillar of salt?

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.  Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.  What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:16-39)

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Jesus, this is more than a poke in the ribs. It is a deep challenge to deeper faith. Many of Your people are living the reality of what You described so many years ago. They are forced to flee their homes, or are arrested, or even killed because they have a faith that endures. I’m not going to ask You to test me like that, but I am asking that You increase my faith and help me to be less concerned about my own life and more concerned to trust You with everything, big or small. Teach and enable me to glorify You.

A story that builds faith

Genesis 42-46 

Right now, we are experiencing family health issues that are more distressing because the doctors cannot find any reason for them. They involve three people with similar symptoms, but enough differences to make us ask what is going on. I know that God knows, and that today's readings are helping me trust Him.  

Twenty-two years had passed since Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave. When famine drove the brothers to Egypt, and they applied to Egypt’s second most powerful man, they had no idea he was Joseph. Yet clearly none of them had forgotten what they did to Joseph. The question was, had their hatred of him changed?  

On their first trip to purchase food, they failed to recognize him. However, Joseph told them not to come again without their younger brother. Jacob was deeply distressed, but finally relented and allowed Joseph’s full brother Benjamin to go with them. 

 Joseph was testing them, but he finally revealed himself to his stunned family. He sent them home to bring the entire family to Egypt. Jacob was reunited with the son he thought was dead.  

No matter how many times I read this story, I weep, particularly in Chapter 45 when Joseph finally reveals his identity to his brothers. 

"Joseph Provides for His Brothers and Family Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, 'Make everyone go out from me.'  

So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. And Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?'  

But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. So Joseph said to his brothers, 'Come near to me, please.' And they came near. And he said, 'I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’ And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.'  

Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him." (Genesis 45:1-15) 

Twenty-two years of guilt for the brothers, and  twenty-two years of realizing the hand of God in his life for Joseph. This was not a sudden revelation, but a deep-seated trust that accepted adversity because this man had learned early that the power of trusting God was being able to see that He worthy of being trusted. 

The New Testament says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. For me, the story of Joseph is a tremendous faith-builder! As my faith gets tested with not nearly the same intensity, I know that my God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Each test proves Him worthy of being trusted.

When is faith the easiest?

Today has been stressful. I’ve a major assignment due soon, but no clue what I’m going to write. I have a topic, but no thesis statement, no resources as yet found, and no ideas. I’ve been praying, but see only fog. I’m not confident in myself, which is normal, but am concerned about my confidence in God. Otherwise, if I trusted Him would I feel so stressed?

Isn’t it easier to trust God when all is well? When answers come to prayer and when His guidance is clear and easy to understand? This is a very common response as illustrated throughout the Bible.

During the Exodus, God gave the Law to Moses and “Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” (Exodus 24:3)

His directions were clear and at that point, they were confident they could obey them. They repeated their confidence when hearing His words read: “Then (Moses) took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” (Exodus 24:7)

God also gave clear directions for worship and the utensils for worship. He said, “And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.” (Exodus 25:40) The people were enthusiastic and filled with great desire to obey the God who had delivered them from slavery. They followed His instructions to the letter.

In the second reading, the love story unfolds with the bride finally locating her lover, a picture of the bride of Christ, the church, gladly moving into the presence of the Lord. “Scarcely had I passed them when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go . . . .” (Song of Solomon 3:4)

Isn’t this the way it is? We seek the Lord and when we sense His nearness (even though He is always near), we want to hold Him close and never let Him go. We want that special sense of His presence all the time, along with assurance of His care and guidance. Yet for reasons we may not fully understand, sometimes God is silent. Sometimes He does not answer our prayers right away. What happens to our faith then?

So (Jesus) came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. (John 4:46–54)

Perhaps Jesus was testing this man when He said the official would not believe unless he saw Jesus do signs and wonders. However, the man seemed more concerned that his son would live, so he ignored the accusation. But it could have been true. I’ve been there. I’ve asked something of God that seemed to be His will and seemed to be the right thing to ask, but in my heart, I was testing God. Would He perform for me? Did I really believe He would? Or could?

I’ve been studying whether or not signs and miracles will aid or produce faith in God. Can a Christian prove the existence of God or the validity of faith by them? Or do miracles serve only to bolster the faith of those who already believe?

It seems to me that in this instance the official was sincere but not certain. However, he asked Jesus to do a miracle and when his child was healed and the timing showed the healing happened just as Jesus spoke, his certitude increased. He knew the power of God because of the miracle, and believed. Even his entire household believed.

Is faith easier when God blesses and does what we want? For some it might be. For others, a deeper faith manifests itself when everything goes bad and it seems as if God is gone or not listening.

Job is the major example. He lost everything except his wife and his life, yet he hung in there with God. He complained, argued, and sputtered a great deal, but in the end, God commended him for speaking what is right. The Bible also says he held to his integrity; his faith did not depend on God’s blessings, but on God’s faithfulness.

At this, my tension is a bit lighter. At times, God jumps in quickly to help me. At times, He has left me hanging so I could exercise my faith and hang on anyway. He has been silent about some things for many years. Will I still trust Him?

These silences and absences are not tests like those I can pass or flunk. They are tests that prove something about God. From them, I understand that the faith He grants to His people is not about how we feel, or about the circumstances of our lives. Instead, it is about His faithfulness. He is my gracious and wise God — all the time. 

Singing in jail?

Having never been in jail, I’m not too sure what I would do if I were locked up, particularly if I were innocent and it was persecution for my faith. When it happened to the Apostle Paul and his coworker, they demonstrated the power of God over adversity. They were in prison, but the prison was certainly not in them.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them… (Acts 16:25)

I would avoid prison if possible, but this is not the only thing that I’d run from. I don’t want painful events, but the Bible tells me that those things that I turn from, God uses for my good. This is how God works. He uses difficulties to bring out the fruit of His Spirit. Adversity and trials show the power of God and clearly reveal that nothing is too hard for Him.

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance… (Romans 5:2–3)

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16–18)

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. (2 Corinthians 7:10–11)

We might glibly say that God works in mysterious ways, but mostly say it when those ways somehow work to our advantage in a surprise or a turn of events that we don’t expect. I’ve seldom heard this said over suffering, affliction and grief over sin, at least not until long after the fact.

I’d like to be so filled with faith that when trouble comes, I would not lose heart. I’d like to become joyful knowing that God was up to something good, even joyful enough to sing, even enough to sing in the middle of the situation when it was still at its darkest and no end was yet in sight. The odd part of this is that the only way to have this kind of faith is by experiencing suffering, affliction and grief.