How do we have faith in hard times?
WHO do we have our faith in?
Luke 18:1-8 Jesus told his disciples a story about how they should keep on praying and never give up:
In a town there was once a judge who didn’t fear God or care about people. In that same town there was a widow who kept going to the judge and saying, “Make sure that I get fair treatment in court.” For a while the judge refused to do anything. Finally, he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care about people, I will help this widow because she keeps on bothering me. If I don’t help her, she will wear me out.” The Lord said: Think about what that crooked judge said. Won’t God protect his chosen ones who pray to him day and night? Won’t he be concerned for them? He will surely hurry and help them. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find on this earth anyone with faith?
Parable of the persistant widow:
The widow had FAITH in the judge that he would grant her justice if she persisted
The judge is NOT God
Who do we have faith in?
God
“Won’t God protect his chosen ones who pray to him day and night? Won’t he be concerned for them? He will surely hurry and help them.”
Okay what about all the times it seems that God is not answering our prayers?
God kept some of the bad guys in the land so that the Israelites would learn war – and learn faith in him.
Jdg 3:1 And the LORD had another reason for letting these enemies stay. The Israelites needed to learn how to fight in war, just as their ancestors had done. Each new generation would have to learn by fighting CEV
Jdg 3:1-2 And these are the nations which Jehovah left, to prove Israel by them, as many as had not known all the wars of Canaan; only that the generations of the sons of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least those who before knew nothing of it: MKJV
But he was always there In the hard times God teaches us to bend the bow of bronze
Psa 18:34 He teaches my hands to war, so that a bow of bronze is bent by my arms.
He is WITH US
Where is God in the hard times?
With us
Teaching us
Shaping us
Refining us.
Transforming us.
Romans 8:30 For whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be the First-born among many brothers.
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.
Faith is all about a WHO – not about a what.
We put our faith in God.
Our faith grows as we learn more about who God is.
Sometimes I think we put God in the same box as the judge. Uncaring. Unlistening. Unjust.
But God is for you.
He freely gave you Jesus… will he not give you anything else….
Romans 8:31-32 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Truly He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
He loves you with an everlasting love.
He knows you – head hairs….
He loves to give. He is generous.
He hears our prayer.
He opened his throne room.
He made the way.
He calls us family.
We have faith in the creator of the universe.
The one who breathed out the stars as Louie Giglio says.
There is this really cool passage near the end of Job where God is just “informing Job” about all the cool things HE can do…
It gives a picture of the majesty of God, the power of God, the in controlness of God…
Colossians 1:16-17 Everything was created by him, everything in heaven and on earth, everything seen and unseen, including all forces and powers, and all rulers and authorities. All things were created by God’s Son, and everything was made for him. God’s Son was before all else, and by him everything is held together.
You get the picture?
This is the one we have faith in.
When God appeared to Moses he called himself the I AM WHO I AM.
He unpacked it in Exodus 34.
Exodus 34:6-7I am the LORD God. I am merciful and very patient with my people. I show great love, and I can be trusted. I keep my promises to my people forever, but I also punish anyone who sins. When people sin, I punish them and their children, and also their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”
In the hard times we need to remember who God is. This gives us faith. This keeps us going. This keeps us putting one foot in front of the other and saying Yes God – I trust in you. In the hard times we need to shoot down the doubts and the fears and the worrys and answer all the questions we have on the inside with the answers God gives – the promise that he is with us and for us and loves us.
It is a challenge to have faith. Life is hard. Things happen. But remember WHO your faith is in. Does he not seem big enough to work it out? To know what is going on? And to walk with you through the hard time, making good come out of it.
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