Faith in Affliction Weak or Strong 032414

Faith in Affliction  Weak or Strong

"If it never proves great, yet weak faith shall save; for it interests us in Christ, and makes Him and all His benefits ours.  For it is not the strength of our faith that saves, but the truth of our faith, nor weakness of our faith that condemns, but the want of faith; for the least faith lays hold on Christ and so will save us.  Nor are we saved by the worth or quantity of our faith but by Christ - who is laid hold on bu a weak faith as well as a strong - just as a weak hand that puts meat into the mouth shall feed and nourish the body as if it were a strong hand, but by the goodness of the meat."  John Rogers, The Doctrine of Faith

In Affliction we are confronted with the strength or weakness of our faith.  Indeed I think it is more often the latter than the former.  But as Rogers writes even our mustard-seed faith is sufficient to lay hold of all that Christ provides and promises.  The difference, perhaps, is more in our sense of faith than its sufficiency.  

How often do we, in afflictions, find ourselves confronted with the laziness of our faith and consider it a sign of no or weak faith.  This is not to be done.  The exercise of our faith will indeed be commensurate with its strength or weakness but yet whether one or the other it is sufficient.

If our faith is weak, afflictions are great torments and trials and yet Christ is not stingy in His providence regardless.  It is the object of our faith that is of the greatest import and what we often confuse with a weak faith is actually a misplaced faith.

We tend to trust God to provide according to our own reason and insight and when we do not see that happening we , in our distress, consider our faith to be too weak to have its effect.  But brother and sister, by God's own Word, this cannot be.  His promises are to those who believe whether small or large.

"Lord I believe, help Thou my unbelief," should be a fundamental prayer we pray in affliction.  For we all have areas where our faith struggles to settle upon its true object and grow upon that object.

And, we must remember that our faith is a gift and gifts are given according to the desire of the giver and the need of the gifted.  That one has what they consider a "small faith" is simply an invitation to stand amazed as God grows that faith in time and space.  Indeed, once we are with Him there will be no weak of strong faith for our trust in Him will be complete.

In affliction we will find that we question the strength and veracity of our faith - or at least we seem to.  However I find among believers that it is rarely a question of whether or not God will provide but rather how and when.  This shows that we have faith in Him even if we struggle in the details.
But some believers do struggle with whether or not God will provide.  Wondrously and happily this doubt is usually based upon their view of their own worthiness to even get God's attention much less His provision.  This is "works" thinking and we all do it.  There is nothing like an affliction to kick us into the old, "I'm not worthy," or to bring to our remembrance every jot and tittle of our sins.

Well, we are not worthy -  period.  But in and through Christ we are - but only through Him.  Yes, God may indeed, through some affliction, chastise us for sin.  But this is a mercy for first it falls far far short of what any sin deserves and second it is meant to cleanse, to refine the dross out of our hearts and lives.  Yet we often fail to see the blessedness of God's heavy hand upon us and we miss praising Him for that mercy.

Trusting God in affliction is simple but it is not easy.  The world mocks, the flesh wrestles with shame and the devil accuses and taunts.  That's a tough trio to contend with.  But knowing the source should drive us to look to God more intensly and humbly and - sometimes - desperately.

But, isn't the bottom line our redemption?  Isn't that the aim of our faith as Christ who provides it is the object?  Do we want heaven of relief more?  Do we want the comfort of our salvation or the comfort of things?  Do we want the praise of men or the "well done" of Christ?

Faith in affliction looks to its object and the priorities held by that object.  Which means that our priority should be the glory of God and our ultimate home with Him.  Everything else is NOT unimportant but it is secondary if not tertiary.

Therefore let us turn to Christ in our affliction and to His Word and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in getting our priorities back in line.  Let us allow the anxiety of trials to wash over us and away from us as we call out to God in supplication and thanksgiving.

"Though I am not pleased with God's chastisement, I will be pleased with its effect.  Though I struggle to thank Him for this testing I praise Him for loving me enough to test me.  Though I am assailed with fear let me be filled with His comfort.  May I accept this affliction as a mercy and blessing from my God who is determined to transform me into the likeness of my loving Savior."  ms

Finger Thinking 021113

Today - something different.

We've looked at the struggles and the battles - the anxiety and fear.  But in all of this - regardless of how heavy it gets we also need to hold on to the hope we have in Him.

Bottom line?  We have the assurance of our home with Him.  That's the big thing - and we can not allow our present trial and tribulations to take that hope from our hearts.

Jesus' teachings were pretty tough when you really read them - as are the teachings in the writings of the Apostles.  Our redemption is the main and plain thing.  That we have to keep our grip on.  All we experience here is, I think, to make us long to be with Him, for His Kingdom to come, for His will to be done in all the creation.

I know - when you're broke or sick or undergoing any other trial it is hard to keep your eyes on heaven.  It is very hard and I would not minimize your distress in any way.

But dearest one - we all have to fight that fight in one way or another.  I am learning, especially from the Puritan writers, that rich or poor, well or infirm we all struggle to keep a grasp on our hope.  It is good to know that His grasp on us is unrelenting.

As I discover the needs of others I am embarrassed by my focus on my circumstances.  No, it's not a matter of, "others are worse off so quit whining."  Rather I am beginning to feel a part of their struggles, their pain, their fear and anxiety.  I am beginning to see more clearly the truth of His Word and the battle we are in.  I am finding that I turn more to Him the more I see the needs of others.

We are not alone in our distress.  We have others who struggle with us and for us.  We are in the company of saints who have been called to demonstrate that He is worthy to be trusted.  We can only do that when we trust Him - and sometimes He has to bring into our lives those conditions that take away everything we have trusted that is not Him.

But whether we are in distress or plenty our need to hope in Him - in our redemption - is never diminished.  Job stated that even if God saw fit to kill him, he, Job, would trust/hope in Him.  Great words but they bring us to the bare facts of the faith.  We have been saved for Him and by Him to be His forever.  We sometimes need to be brought to 
the place where we are confronted by that truth to see whether it is enough for us or not.

Jesus told us to not fear those who can kill the body - I would expand it to include the "its" as well.  He told us to fear that which can condemn our souls.  Well, in Him we do not have to fear the condemnation of our souls and so, though it is a battle, we need fear nothing and no-one.

I know - bold words - but they are not spoken easily for their truth and power leave me with only Him - as though there was ever more anyway.

Father, I pray that we will be comforted by the hope we have in You.  I pray that we will dare to look at the bottom-line of our hope and be willing to accept it.  Father we need to learn to be content with our redemption and not just our worldly conditions.  Father we need to be content with Your grace whatever we are living through.

Lord, I pray for my brothers and sisters who are in need and I call out to You to give us all the knowledge that the impact of any need is relative to the strength and maturity of the individual believer.  Knowing that, make us either seek the strong and mature believer for guidance and comfort or make us seek the weak and struggling believer to give guidance and comfort.

Father bring us to that one-ness Jesus prayed for - that one-ness He died for.  Let us understand that if one part of the Body is injured and the rest of the Body ignores it or is unable to discern it - there is something very very wrong.

Father, give us big hope, big hearts and even bigger prayers so that we struggle alongside our faith family either in their presence or in prayer.  

Help us Father, to know the joy of Your salvation even in the distress of being here waiting for You.