As we seek to build the Kingdom of God, a task that can never be completed and never ends, we will find adversity, hardship, spiritual assault will come upon us again and again and again. The closer we get to fulfilling God's will in our lives, the greater the assaults Satan will throw at us. There is one weapon that the Lord has given to us, above all others, that can gird us during these times of great stress, discouragement and struggle, Faith.
From the time of Judges, when the Lord instructed Judges to rule through faith, to the writings of Paul, when he revealed the power of the Good News, that faith begins and ends it all, God has made clear to us how we are best equipped to deal with the vagaries of a world filled with sin.
A Song of Faith
As dust becomes the stuff of bones
that gives form to earth's living
let me not be governed by that dried mud
A strong beast cuts the wet fields
with ease
but is no more than God's will,
despite the hold we may have
on the whip that points it forward
where we suppose
we wish it go in service to our seeds
The Lord sounds
a perpetual Glory
across these fecund beds
and we are but the dry stalks
of a dead harvest
without the sweet rains of Faith
that bring dead seed to bloom
To do the work of the Lord, faith is the cornerstone. In Chronicles 19:7-10, The Lord gives instruction to the Judges on how they must judge. It is through fear in the Lord and "good faith" that judges serve the Lord, bearing no 'respect for high positions", only in serving God's will.
2 Chronicles 19:7 So now let the fear of the Lord be in you; do your work with care; for in the Lord our God there is no evil, or respect for high position, or taking of payment to do wrong.
8 Then in Jerusalem he gave authority to certain of the Levites and the priests and the heads of families of Israel to give decisions for the Lord, and in the causes of those living in Jerusalem.
9 And he gave them their orders, saying, You are to do your work in the fear of the Lord, in good faith and with a true heart.
10 And if any cause comes before you from your brothers living in their towns, where the death punishment is in question, or where there are questions of law or order, or rules or decisions, make them take care that they are not in the wrong before the Lord, so that wrath may not come on you and on your brothers; do this and you yourselves will not be in the wrong.
Without Faith, it is easy to question the Lord during difficult times. In Job 40:2-14, God questions Job's accusations against him. He calls Job out on questioning the "ruler of all" and accuses Job of accusing Him of being wrong for the sake of Job feeling right. Again, the Lord questions how the man who does not possess the power of the Lord could question the Lord.
2 Will he who is protesting give teaching to the Ruler of all? Let him who has arguments to put forward against God give an answer.
3 And Job said in answer to the Lord,
4 Truly, I am of no value; what answer may I give to you? I will put my hand on my mouth.
5 I have said once, and even twice, what was in my mind, but I will not do so again.
6 ¶Then the Lord made answer to Job out of the storm-wind, and said,
7 Get your strength together like a man of war: I will put questions to you, and you will give me the answers.
8 Will you even make my right of no value? will you say that I am wrong in order to make clear that you are right?
9 Have you an arm like God? have you a voice of thunder like his?
10 Put on the ornaments of your pride; be clothed with glory and power:
11 Let your wrath be overflowing; let your eyes see all the sons of pride, and make them low.
12 Send destruction on all who are lifted up, pulling down the sinners from their places.
13 Let them be covered together in the dust; let their faces be dark in the secret place of the underworld.
14 Then I will give praise to you, saying that your right hand is able to give you salvation.
A humbled Job now comes back to faith, saying he sees that the Lord is "able to do every thing...and give effect to [His] designs". He is sorrowful that he gave a hearing to fales words about the Lord and sorrowfuly he takes his "seat in the dust".
Job 42:1 ¶And Job said in answer to the Lord,
2 I see that you are able to do every thing, and to give effect to all your designs.
3 Who is this who makes dark the purpose of God by words without knowledge? For I have been talking without knowledge about wonders not to be searched out.
4 Give ear to me, and I will say what is in my mind; I will put questions to you, and you will give me the answers.
5 Word of you had come to my ears, but now my eye has seen you.
6 For this cause I give witness that what I said is false, and in sorrow I take my seat in the dust.
When Job's faith waned, he was able to be distracted by earthly judgment against the Lord himself. When he returned to his faith, even his tribulations could not dissade him from the knowledge of the perfect God.
In Matthew, in two different places, Jesus tells his followers that it is faith and faith alone in Him that can cause mountains to literally move.
Matthew 17:20 Jesus answered them, "Because you have so little faith. I am telling you the truth: If your faith were the size of the small seed of the mustard plant, then you could say to this mountain, `Move from here to there!´ and the mountain would move. Nothing would be impossible for you."
Matthew 21:21 Jesus answered them, "I am telling you the truth, if you have faith and don't doubt, you will be able to perform this, too! You can even say to this mountain, `Pick yourself up and throw yourself into the sea!´ and it will happen.
In Acts, following Paul's near death experience after a vicious stoning, the followers of Christ acknowledge a key fact: "We must suffer many things on our way into God's kingdom". Without faith, we will not make it through the necessary struggles we must endure to make it to the promised land.
Acts 14:22 In those cities they made the followers of Jesus stronger. They helped them to stay in the faith. They said, "We must suffer many things on our way into God's kingdom.
Romans 1:17 closes the door on Faith unequicocably by stating that the Good News "reveals the way God makes people right...It begins and ends by faith"
Romans 1:17 The Good News reveals the way that God makes people right. It begins and ends by faith.• This is written: "The person who is right with God by faith will live forever." (Hab. 2:4)our
So it is that Faith governs us and we must govern in Faith. So it is that faith girds us in hard times and begins and ends the way we are made right in the Lord.
Prayer:
Lord,
I am a small death on a worldy plain without Faith in Your Holy Word. Let me not forget what brought me to redemption, to salvation, to hope, to glory in your name. Let me not forget the lesson of Job, who dared believe the words of deathly men over God's forever and always power. Let me not forget the Judges of Isreal instructed to govern through Faith in the Lord, or the power, the source of the Good News, that all right in the Lord begins and ends in faith. Let Romans 1:17 be the shield against discouragement and hopelessness: The Good News reveals the way that God makes people right. It beings and ends by faith. This is written:"The person who is right with God by faith will live forever".
In Jesus' name I pray- Amen
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Replies
Thanks, Freedomist!