Hebrews 11:
When I was growing up, my brother loved singing and often taught me songs from our hymn book. There was one song I didn’t like for some reason, but it echoed in my heart when life demanded more than I could offer.
The song goes like this: “Oh, for a faith that will not shrink, Though pressed by every foe, That will not tremble on the brink Of any earthly woe!”
The truth is, life’s circumstances tend to throw hard bricks at us, and we find ourselves not knowing what to do with them because we are never prepared. No one is ever fully prepared for sickness, the loss of a loved one, the breakdown of a family, or a wrecked marriage. These devastating events reach deep into the core of the soul. I wonder how the world expects us to keep our heads held high when everything around us seems to be falling apart.
The songwriter calls us to an impossible and daunting task: a faith that does not shrink, even in the face of storms, trials, and the deepest mire of grief and pain a faith that remains bold. This is a faith unaffected by circumstances. It hopes, trusts, and believes even in the fiery furnace. This is the kind of faith that pleases God, and Paul has this to say about it:
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
To achieve this kind of faith, we must understand that circumstances never change who God is. Therefore, there is no reason to change who we believe God is. If we struggle to see Him in the midst of our most trying times, we can still trust Him based on past experiences or what we’ve seen Him do in the lives of others. “The just shall live by faith…” the kind of faith that trusts in God through grit and grind; that looks forward with hope, no matter the situation.
This is the faith: “That will not murmur nor complain Beneath the chast’ning rod, But, in the hour of grief or pain, Will lean upon its God.”
Now, I sing the song with understanding because I know that faith cannot manifest in comfortable conditions, but rather in moments when one has despaired even of life itself. This faith shines brighter, clearing the way and cheering the soul, because its God is greater than any pain it has endured.
Reflection
Does your faith remain steadfast in the storms and tempests of life? What would it take for you to give up on God? In moments of pain and grief, can you look to the future with hope?
Prayer
Dear Lord, I come to You realizing how weak and frail my faith is. Whenever grief and pain come my way, my faith in You shrinks and I lose my grip. I pray and ask that You help me to stand firm. I have failed many times, and I ask that You please increase my faith. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.