We hear a great deal about faith these days. We are told that if we only have enough faith, we can receive anything we want. We need never be sick or want for any material blessing. Sickness or lack are indications of the greater lack of faith.
The Bible is considered to be the Christian’s checkbook. The promises are the checks, and God is the Heavenly Banker ready to cash our checks for whatever amount we ask.
While in no way wanting to diminish or discourage faith, I believe there is a need for counterbalancing teaching emphasizing the essence of Biblical faith, which avoids the extremes of presumption on the one hand and unbelief on the other. Faith is not simply confessing the words of the Bible or making positive statements. Faith is putting one’s trust in God Himself. It is allowing God to be to us what He is in Himself. It is trusting God to be what He sees I need Him to be, not what I think I need Him to be.
Faith is not trust in promises but in the Person making the promises. Faith is recognizing that God is the sovereign Lord of the universe, free to act consistent with His love, to do what is wise and good for all of His children in all of their circumstances.
The promises of God are given to us as a guarantee or pledge of His purpose, which is not only to make us happy but to make us holy by making us like Jesus. He shows this very clearly in Romans 8:28-39, where He promises that as we trust Him and cooperate with Him in all the circumstances of life, He will accomplish His purpose – which is to make us like Jesus. In verses 35-39 Paul tells us that some of those circumstances might entail tribulation, persecution, famine, or nakedness; and he assures us that no matter what happens or what we experience, we will always have God’s presence.
We live in an abnormal world. It is not as God created it, nor as it will be when He fully restores it. It is a world in which poverty, sickness, and suffering are realities which affect all of us in some way. We have no guarantees that we will enjoy perfect health or freedom from want until the kingdom of Jesus is fully established. Until that happens we as Christians are part of a world in which sin, selfishness, and social injustice cause untold suffering.
We reject a social gospel that puts its trust in man or man’s programs as the final answer to the world’s problems. But we must also reject a gospel of affluence which promises that God will somehow grant to a few, who have enough faith, freedom from suffering and want.
God’s glory is seen not only in His natural ability to do great things, but also in His character, which is holy love. He is glorified in His people as He was in Jesus – not by their living free from want but by their obedience and trust in Him in all the circumstances of life, whether in abundance or want, suffering or sufficiency. We see this beautifully expressed in Habakkuk 3:17-19: “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places….”
The testimony of the Christian which glorifies the Father is not that he walks through the world untouched by its problems, but that he lives in the world unafraid, knowing that no matter what happens, he has God’s presence to comfort and sustain him.
This is clearly shown in Hebrews 11, where God teaches us what faith is and what it does. We find men and women there who found deliverance and experienced miracles, but we also find those who suffered and died. Regardless of their circumstances, they had this in common: they knew God, trusted Him fully, and were approved by Him.
Faith is not based in God’s promises alone but is based on God’s person. Faith grows with the knowledge of God. Faith is the normal response of the one who has come to know God as He is in Himself.
When God appeared to Abraham in Genesis 17, He gave him several promises. But before He gave Abraham the “I wills,” He told him He was the God who was enough for all that He promised to do in and through Abraham.
We should thank God for all the promises He gives us in His Word. We should pray for the sick and trust God for healing. We should continue, with all of our hearts, to believe God to supply all our needs. However, when healing does not come or our prayers are not answered in the ways we expect, our attitude should be that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3 when they said to the king: “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (vv. 17-18).
Their commitment was to God, whom they recognized as being sovereign and who would do what was right and good, and they were willing to trust Him no matter what happened. It was in the furnace that they found God and deliverance. As a result of their faith, God’s name was honored throughout a heathen nation.
God delights in those who trust Him in the good times and in the difficult times. He makes Himself known to them and is glorified through them. What was it that enabled David to face Goliath when others ran from the giant in fear? The difference was one of perspective. The others compared themselves with Goliath: David saw Goliath against the backdrop of God, His faithfulness, and His power. The others were concerned about their own safety: David’s primary concern was for God’s glory.
David was not being presumptuous when he tackled Goliath. He had spent many hours alone in the presence of God, and he had experienced the power of God.
When Jesus hung on the cross, He cried out, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” He was suffering for us so that we need never experience separation from the Father. No matter how hot the furnace becomes, we can know that He who said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee,” is with us. Because He and His purpose are unchanging, we will come through purer and stronger than ever. “…Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22).
– From Message Of The Cross by Alec Brooks
This article is from the Herald of His Coming website.
