What faith does not look like - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 13:5-8,

"The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand
chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the
sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth
Aven. When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and
that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets,
among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. Some Hebrews even crossed
the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and
all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days,
the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's
men began to scatter."

Here is what faith does not look like. Tested faith requires
circumstances that are impossible, faced in an unshakable trust in
what God can and will do. Saul and his army looked at the overwhelming
strength and equipment of their foes, hid in caves, ran away and
quaked in fear. This is what faith is not.

How is faith manifested in our lives today? God tells us that he will
work all things for good for those who love him, Romans 8:28. This
does not mean that believers will not face the fearful. In fact, we
are told we will. However, being fully convinced that God will work
all things for our good both proves, and expresses our faith. God has
made his promise to us and he has the power and the will to fulfill
all of his promises.

Whether we face our own death, or the death of a loved one, whether we
face financial ruin, the loss of a job or we are incapacitated in one
way or another, whether we struggle in our concerns for wayward
children or spouses, no matter what it is we feel challenged with in
life, we manifest and prove our faith by facing these things in the
confidence of God's power to work these things for our good.

Expecting God to keep these challenges from us is both misguided and
presuming upon God. In fact, he is often the one responsible for
bringing challenges and difficulties our way, for our own good, one
way or another. "Those whom I [Jesus Christ] love I rebuke and
discipline." Revelation 3:19a. "No discipline seems pleasant at the
time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of
righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
Hebrews 12:11.

As we face those difficult challenges in life, we need to take heart,
face them with the courage in knowing our God is faithful, and trust
in his promise to us.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

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Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com