How is your faith?
How would someone describe your faith? Is it strong? And does it grow stronger in tough times?
Today, we will see what Paul’s faith was like. It was tremendous –like a record-breaking Olympian. The more extreme the situation, the more it shone forth. It is a faith we would want to have, and guess what? It is one we can have! So let’s start by asking:
What was Paul’s faith like?
Paul once faced extremely difficult times in Asia. He says, “We were really burdened and in deep despair; in fact, we were about to die!”
When we are troubled, how do we react? We may be frustrated – we cannot figure out why something has gone wrong. Or we may be upset – we feel we ‘just don’t deserve it’!
But Paul was different. He knew exactly why these terrible things had happened to him. Thus he wrote that the purpose of these terrible things was:
“that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead… ”
– 2 Corinthians 1:8
If this was an interview, it would have gone like this:
Interviewer: So why did those bad things happen to you, Paul?
Paul: Well, God allowed those things to happen.
Interviewer: And why did He do that?
Paul: Because He wanted us to stop trusting in ourselves. I tend to do that when things are going smoothly. He wanted us to trust in Him instead.
I mean, look – we were about to die. But I knew someone who has power over death – God! Check it out – He raises the dead!
That is how Paul saw his suffering. How impressive! This is his spirit of faith! No grumbling, no moaning and groaning… instead, his eyes of faith cut right through the things that were happening, and his heart of faith praised the God behind it all. Amidst the stress and the strain, his faith showed itself strong! So let us ask:
How can I have this kind of faith?
The Run of Faith & Hope
Imagine taking part in your school’s cross-country run. As you gather with your schoolmates at the starting line, your principal makes an announcement, that at the end of the run, there will be a Milo Van! It’ll be giving out free cups of Milo. What good news! You are thrilled, excited, and eager. Similarly, faith comes from our hearing of God’s Word. We hear, and in that moment, we believe, and we rejoice!
But the run still has to take place. And so we run into the jungle, feel the shadows fall on us, and struggle to keep pace and breathe. We run on, looking forward to finishing and at last having that cup of ice cold Milo. Similarly, as we journey through life’s challenges, we have faith in God’s Word, and the promises in it give us hope despite the challenges.
Triumphing in Trust
“We trust that He will still deliver us.”
– 2 Corinthians 1:10
Soon, you emerge from the forest into the sunlight. This is the most difficult part of the run. Your legs ache and almost cramp, and you feel a stitch in your stomach as the sun beats down onto your sweat-drenched back. But you don’t give up. You’ve made it this far already. You look ahead, and there you see it! Just beyond the finishing line, is the big green Milo Van. And so you push even harder. You breathe even deeper. No way are you giving up now. Similarly, as we have faith in God’s promises, our hope is realised, and grows more and more… until trust is what we obtain.
Just ask Paul. If you had asked him what his spirit of faith was as he faced those near-death dangers, he would have said:
“I trust God! He has delivered me so many times in the past… and I am absolutely convinced that He will deliver me – from any and every trouble I may face in the future.”
And so faith comes at the beginning, as we look ahead. And hope comes as we journey on… but trust is that special blessing that comes as we look back on how far the Lord has brought us.
Now, you may ask at this point…
Can we really do it?
The answer is “Yes, we can!” As Paul says,
“Our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.”
– 2 Corinthians 1:7
We are assured by Paul that we have the same God in whom we can trust. And from Acts 20:4, we learn that Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus all also had Paul’s spirit of faith.
All that remains is to ask:
What will your faith be like?
What will our faith be like ten years from today? If we begin with initial faith and grow in hope, we can learn to trust Him – deeper, better, stronger, One day, we will proclaim, like Paul: God has delivered me, God does deliver me, and God will deliver me always – in Him I trust!