Tested Faith

 

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Psalm 46:1

 

I was driving a few hours to a speaking engagement and about half-way there I started to get a panicked feeling. I was thinking about the women I would be teaching later that evening. They knew their Bibles. They were doctrinally sound thinkers. In a moment I lost confidence in myself.

Within a couple of minutes, my thinking completely changed. I stopped thinking about me and was reminded that God had been faithful to me every time I have taught for Him. My confidence needed to be in Him!

In preparing to teach, I had prayed, studied the Bible, and read what a couple of commentators thought on the subject. As far as it was up to me, I had done the necessary work. But, the biggest confidence boost came from the Lord’s reminder that He would be there. That He had been faithful in the past.

Today, I am facing another little crisis in my thinking. I am not afraid of getting COVID 19. I am not afraid of dying. I was experiencing fear about what it means that people are expecting the government to support them financially through this “lockdown.” I fear for the children who hear nothing but their parents’ complaints that the children are home and about the state of our nation.

I fear a future of socialism.

There was a time when a crisis like this would have sent people to their churches for financial help, food or childcare. Christians would have taken the risk of getting the disease to have the opportunity to share the Gospel. I praise God for those who are still willing now.

Sadly, we are living in a time when churches are not known for benevolence. I have seen some churches saying that we should just stay home. That our government is seeking our good and so we should obey and go nowhere. God is faithful in every circumstance. He is sovereign. Not one of us is going to die one day sooner than He has already planned. We may get sick by serving others, but God is faithful in sickness, too.

I was grateful that He reminded me of His faithfulness in another situation. God is the same, no matter what the circumstances. Do we truly trust him? Is our faith being tested?

James said, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).

I think that an especially precious gift for me heading into the COVID19 scare is that God has already given me time to study His Word. His sovereignty is sure. His righteousness understood. His will to work all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose is established in me.

Even though we may have moments of fear, with God’s Word and the history of His faithfulness, any Christian can overcome that fear. Not just of a virulent virus but of anxiety in any area, in fear of the unknown, in illness, financial loss, or a crisis of confidence.

I do not know God’s purposes in this “pandemic.” But I am sure He is testing us to grow our faith and love for Him. Will we see the sin of our nation and repent?

When we have stood the test, we will be complete in character, being more conformed to the image of Christ.

Then, we can be part of the Church that will be available – pointing people away from the government’s help to the only real Help that comes through faith in Jesus Christ as King.

See Psalm 46 (only 11 verses) and see if you could ever apply the same praise to government!