The Testing of Our Faith

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. – Hebrews 11:17-19 ESV

This story deserves a second look. There are four little words that should raise a certain amount of suspicion and create a bit of confusion in our minds – “when he was tested.” The account of this story found in Genesis says, “After these things God tested Abraham” (Genesis 22:1 ESV). But why did God test Abraham? The Hebrew word for “tested” is nacah and it can mean “to test, try, prove, tempt, assay, put to the proof or test” (Hebrew Lexicon :: H5254 (KJV). Blue Letter Bible). Again, why would a good God test Abraham? We might also ask why an omniscient, all-knowing God would need to test Abraham. What was the purpose of the test? Was it to prove, test, or try Abraham’s faith? Wouldn’t an omniscient God have known what the outcome of such a test would be? Didn’t he already have a ram ready to serve as a substitute offering in place of Isaac? Was God really waiting to see what Abraham would do?

On further examination, it would appear that God was testing Abraham, not for His own enlightenment, but for Abraham’s. God already knew the outcome. The psalmist would have us remember that God is all-knowing.

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. – Psalm 139:1-4 NLT

God did not need to know what Abraham would do. But Abraham needed to know what God would do in response to his obedience – even in the face of an impossible, illogical request. The test was for Abraham.

There is another story that speaks of God’s testing. It is found in the book of Exodus. It took place early in the story, immediately after the Israelites' deliverance from
Egypt and God’s miraculous parting of the Red Sea.

Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them… – Exodus 15:22-25 ESV

In recording this event, Moses used the same Hebrew word, nacah. God tested them. But notice the difference between the two stories. In this case, the people of Israel, who had just witnessed God’s divine deliverance, arrive at Marah and immediately begin to complain about the lack of water. Remember, they had seen God send ten plagues upon the people of Egypt. They had seen Him destroy Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea. But when they found themselves in the wilderness without water, they grumbled and complained, saying, “What shall we drink?”

They didn’t even take their problem directly to God, the one who had delivered them. Instead, they went to Moses, and he delivered their complaint to God. Despite their complaining, God took care of their need and provided them with sweet water. There he tested them. But again, who was the test for? Did God not know how they were going to react? Was He not fully aware of their hearts and completely unsurprised by their reaction? Wasn’t He the one who led them right to that spot, fully knowing that there was no water? The answer to all three questions is “Yes.” God knew. So, this test was for them.

After God miraculously provided them with drinkable water, He said to them, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer” (Exodus 15:26 ESV).

God wanted them to know that He could be trusted. He wanted them to know that He was all-powerful. He was testing their knowledge of Him and their faith in Him – for their benefit. The lack of water at Meribah revealed to them that they didn’t know or trust God. It revealed their lack of faith. When they had stood on the banks of the Red Sea with the army of Pharaoh bearing down on them, Moses had told them, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today” (Exodus 14:13 ESV). And God had delivered them. But as soon as they faced their first problem, they doubted God. They failed the test.

But Abraham passed his test – with flying colors. God was not surprised. He knew Abraham would be obedient. He even had a ram caught in a thicket to serve as the stand-in for Isaac. But that day Abraham learned a great deal about himself and about His God. His faith grew. His hope in God's promises increased. His conviction deepened that those things promised by God, though as yet unseen and unfulfilled, would actually happen. God was good for His word.

The test was for Abraham’s benefit, not God’s. He learned what true obedience to God looks and feels like. In a way, Abraham was testing the faithfulness of God, counting on Him to come through. He even told his son, Isaac, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8 ESV). He was putting all his faith in God, counting on Him to spare his son or even raise him back to life should he have to follow through with God’s command and take his life.

God was not testing Abraham in order to see what he would do. The test was so that Abraham could see what God would do. The result of the whole affair was that Abraham’s faith in God increased. The apostle Peter gives us an insight into the tests we face in this life.

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. – 1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT

Like Abraham, our faith will be tested at times. We will find ourselves facing situations and circumstances that will reveal whether our “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV). Will we allow the lack of water to cause us to complain? When God leads us to do something we find unreasonable or uncomfortable, will we balk at His request and refuse, or will we obey? God knows exactly what we will do. He is never surprised. But the question is whether we know what God will do, and are we willing to trust Him with the outcome? Paul gives us a word of encouragement.

For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! – 2 Corinthians 4:17 NLT

This present life is filled with troubles, trials, and tests that take us by surprise and catch us off-guard. We don’t see them coming and their sudden appearance in our lives presents us with a test of our faith. They are not so much tests to determine what we will do as much as they are opportunities to examine our trust in God. What will He do? How is He going to respond to our trials and difficulties? Abraham passed his test not because he picked up the knife to take the life of his own son, but because he believed God would somehow fulfill all the promises He had made, even if Isaac died in the process.

God had assured Abraham, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named” (Hebrews 11:9 ESV). That promise was good enough for Abraham. God had said it and Abraham believed it. And nothing, including the potential death of Isaac, was going to keep God from doing what He had promised to do. 

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Faith Factor

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. – Hebrews 11:1-3 ESV

What exactly is faith? How do you know when you have it? When do you know that you are living by it? The author of Hebrews, like the apostle Paul, spent a great deal of time defending the doctrine of faith. They both believed it was essential to salvation and a non-negotiable part of the Christian life. The author of Hebrews even goes so far as to say that “without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6 ESV).

Both Paul and the author of Hebrews borrow a phrase from the book of Habakkuk, “but the righteous shall live by his faith,” to support their position on faith. For each man, faith and righteousness were inseparable. You couldn’t have one without the other. To attempt to achieve the kind of righteousness that God demands, apart from faith, would be impossible and illogical. He had given His Law to the people of Israel to show them the extent of the righteousness He required and to reveal the utter futility of trying to live up to His righteous standard in their own strength. They couldn’t do it.

God knew they would be unable to keep the Law, so He provided them with the sacrificial system to atone for the sins they would inevitably commit. As the author has already revealed, the law and the sacrificial system were “but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities” (Hebrews 10:1a ESV).

The people sinned and then offered sacrifices for those sins, year after year. But this unending cycle of sin and sacrifice could never bring about true righteousness. As the author pointed out in the last chapter, these repetitive sacrifices “were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship” (Hebrews 10:1b NLT).

The Law was intended to reveal God’s righteous standards and expose man’s sin. Paul explained, “For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are” (Romans 3:20 NLT). God’s mandated sacrificial system demonstrated that His wrath against sin was real and required the shedding of blood to atone for those sins.

In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. – Hebrews 9:22 NLT

The blood of bulls and goats could only provide temporary atonement for sins, so God sent His Son to provide a permanent solution to man’s sin problem and a way to escape the sentence of death hanging over his head. But this new plan of salvation would require faith – “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV).

Faith is always forward-looking. It is based on the yet unseen and the as-yet unfulfilled. Peter gives us a wonderful glimpse of what faith should be like for us as believers:

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. – 1 Peter 1:6-9 NLT

The author of Hebrews shared a similar admonition.

…let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. – Hebrews 10:22 NLT

We are to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering” (Hebrews 10:23 ESV). He praised his readers for their willingness to endure difficulties and trials with joy.

You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever. – Hebrews 10:34 NLT

They were willing to put up with loss in this world because of their confidence in the promise of God that assured them of great gain in the world to come. They were “not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction,” but instead, they were “the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved” (Hebrews 10:39 NLT). Their faith was future-oriented because they firmly believed in the promises of God. They had an assurance of things hoped for and a conviction of things not seen. That is exactly what Paul encouraged the believers in Corinth to keep doing.

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT

If we take our eyes off the hope of God’s future promises, we will find it hard to endure the present trials of this life. If we live as if this earthly existence is all there is, then we will grow weary, disappointed, and disillusioned. The “great salvation” (Hebrews 2:3) the author referred to earlier in his letter will begin to appear weak and ineffective. But it is essential for every believer to understand that God’s salvation includes our future glorification. There is more to our faith than simply the assurance that we have been saved and our sins are forgiven. We will one day be redeemed and given new bodies. We will be freed once and for all from our battle with indwelling sin.

Our faith must always have a future focus. The apostle John, as a loving pastor, reminds us, “Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is” (1 John 3:2 NLT).

That is our hope. That is the basis of our faith, and the author of Hebrews will spend the rest of this chapter demonstrating what this kind of faith looks like in real life, using Old Testament saints as examples of a future-focused faith lived out in real life. This list of long-deceased individuals who lived long before the incarnation of Jesus is intended to provide us with hope. They illustrate that God’s redemptive work has always been based on faith. From Abel and Abraham to Noah and Moses, each of these children of God demonstrated faith in the faithfulness of God. Their lives are living examples of what it looks like to have “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV).

In their own way, each of them revealed their trust in God by stepping out in faith and relying on nothing more than His word. Abel offered the very best of his flock, potentially sacrificing his future livelihood but trusting that God would care for his needs. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son because he fully believed that God would keep His promise to produce a great nation from his offspring. Noah built and entered the ark, based on nothing more than the promise of salvation offered by God. And Moses took a leap of faith and delivered the people of Israel from their captivity in Egypt with little more than a sight-unseen promise from God about a land of their own.

Faith is the unifying factor in each of their stories. And, according to the apostle Paul, faith is still the sole means of accessing the salvation and future glorification that God has in store for each of His children.

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” – Romans 1:15-17 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Déjà Vu All Over Again.

Then he commanded the steward of his house, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack, and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph told him.

As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. They had gone only a short distance from the city. Now Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? Is it not from this that my lord drinks, and by this that he practices divination? You have done evil in doing this.’”

When he overtook them, he spoke to them these words. They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! Behold, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? Whichever of your servants is found with it shall die, and we also will be my lord's servants.” He said, “Let it be as you say: he who is found with it shall be my servant, and the rest of you shall be innocent.” Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city. – Genesis 44:1-13 ESV

Just when things seemed to be going so well, everything went south for the brothers. After their wonderful meal with the governor, they were sent away with their sacks filled with grain, their brother, Simeon, freed from prison, and Benjamin safely in tow. Their destination was Canaan. But they didn’t get far. Once again, Joseph had instructed that the money they bought to pay for the grain be secretly returned to their sacks. Not only that, he had an expensive goblet placed in the sack of the youngest brother, Benjamin. Then he sent his steward, most likely with an armed party, to catch up to his brothers’ caravan and expose their “treachery.”

This story has an eerie sense of déjà vu about it. Many years earlier, when Jacob was attempting to secretly get away from his uncle, Laban, and return to Canaan, his caravan was overtaken by Laban and his kinsmen. Not only had Jacob snuck away without telling Laban or giving him a chance to say goodbye to his daughters and grandchildren, someone in his party had stolen Laban’s household gods. Jacob explained that he had failed to tell Laban because he feared he would take his daughters back by force. As far as the stolen idols went, he claimed to know nothing about them, telling Laban:

“Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours, and take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them. – Genesis 31:32 ESV

Laban searched and searched, but did not find the idols because Rachel, his daughter had hidden them in her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them. Eventually, Laban allowed Jacob and his entourage to leave, having been warned by God in a dream not to do any harm to Jacob. Jacob had been fortunate. He had made a rash vow to kill anyone who had stolen the idols. Little had he known that his own wife was the guilty culprit.

Like father, like sons. When Joseph’s steward caught up with them, they too quickly denied the allegations, saying, “Far be it from your servants to do such a thing!” (Genesis 44:7 ESV). Sounding eerily similar to their father, Jacob, one of the sons rashly blurted out, “Whichever of your servants is found with it shall die, and we also will be my lord's servants” (Genesis 44:9 ESV). They were offended by the accusation. They knew they were innocent, but they have also known better. This was not the first time they had been wrongly accused of being thieves. But their short-term memory loss seems to have prevented them from remembering how that had all turned out. The money had been in their sacks, just as had been claimed. And now, the claims of stealing proved true again. Not only was the money in their sacks, so was the governor’s prized goblet. The steward gives the goblet special value by saying it is the one the governor uses to practice the art of divination. This does not necessarily mean that Joseph, a worshiper of Yahweh, was guilty of doing divination, it was likely meant to prove to the brothers that the cup had special value and that the governor had secret powers.

Once again, Joseph was giving his brothers a test to determine their loyalty and honesty. When the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack, the steward gave Joseph’s pronouncement: “he who is found with it shall be my servant, and the rest of you shall be innocent” (Genesis 44:10 ESV). Would they take advantage of the situation, saving their own lives by abandoning their younger brother to a life of slavery. As Joseph knew all too well, it would not have been the first time for them to do such a thing. Would they be willing to leave Benjamin behind, cutting their losses, and returning with their grain and their money in tow?

The brothers were devastated. “Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city” (Genesis 44:13 ESV). They couldn’t believe this was happening to them again. Was this all the punishment of God for their former treatment of Joseph? Was it some form of divine payback? Were they suffering under God’s curse and doomed to spend the rest of their lives making restitution for their former sins?

How easy it is to see the inexplicable and unpleasant experiences of life as a form of God’s punishment or displeasure. How quickly we assume that difficulties are signs of God’s anger for something we have done or, possibly, should have done. Perhaps God is simply testing us, revealing the true state of our heart and the condition of our faith. Rather than automatically assuming the worst, are we willing to let God reveal to us what He is trying to show us, about ourselves or about Him? Could He be trying to show us our pride and self-sufficiency? Might He be trying to prove to us our weakness and His strength?

Joseph’s brothers didn’t understand their God. They didn’t fully trust Him. Unlike King David, they didn’t realize just how much God loved them and cared for them. He had great plans for them.

O Lord, you have examined my heartand know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! – Psalm 139:1-6 NLT

It was David’s intimate understanding of God’s love that allowed him to say, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT). He knew God loved him and was willing to let God expose anything about him that needed to be changed. What if Joseph’s brothers had looked at their lives with that perspective? What if they had been willing to say, “Lord, what are you trying to tell us? What are you trying to reveal about us?”

Like David, we all need to see the trials of life as opportunities to let God reveal the hidden sins and unseen weaknesses in our life. Trials tend to expose faults. They can bring out the worst and the best in us. Which is why David said: “How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin” (Psalm 19:12-13 NLT).

Stay Focused.

Isaiah 3-4, 1 Peter 1

Tell the godly that all will be well for them. They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned! – Isaiah 3:10 NLT

The opening chapters of the book of Isaiah are filled with God's stinging condemnation of the people of Israel. Through His prophet, Isaiah, God predicts the judgments He is bringing for their unfaithfulness. He outlines their sins in great detail. “For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence” (Isaiah 3:8 ESV). Their words and actions were so wicked, it was as if they didn't even believe that God existed. Their behavior seemed to deny the very presence of God. They were marked by pride and a lack of shame. So God was bringing judgment. But in the midst of all of God's righteous anger and accusations of unfaithfulness, He addresses the righteous or godly. He indicates that there remained a faithful remnant who would continue to honor and worship Him. And He tells them not to worry – that it will be well with them. They will eat the fruit of their deeds. In other words, their faithfulness in the midst of all the unfaithfulness will be rewarded. These people would have to go through the same judgment as everyone else. They would have to endure the same circumstances as the rest of the nation of Judah, but God would be with them. He would somehow reward them for remaining faithful to Him.

What does this passage reveal about God?

Our God is fully aware of what is going on in our hearts – at all times. He knows who is faithful and who is not. While it would be easy to draw the conclusion that everyone in Judah was wicked and apostate, God indicates that there are still a few who have not forsaken Him. There was still a righteous remnant who had remained faithful to God and who were trying to stay morally and religiously pure in the midst of the rampant sin and idolatry that was taking place all around them. God is always right in what He does. He never punished unfairly or causes the innocent to suffer unjustly. One of the indictments He had against the people of Judah was their abuse of the poor and needy. He accused the rulers and elders, saying, “You have ruined Israel, my vineyard. Your houses are filled with things stolen from the poor. How dare you crush my people, grinding the faces of the poor into the dust?” (Isaiah 3:14-15 NLT). God was not blind to the injustices. He was not oblivious to the plight of the poor or the lonely condition of the faithful few who were trying to their belief in God alive while surrounded by runaway sin and moral decay. God was watching. He was fully aware of all that was going on. And the same is true in our day.

What does this passage reveal about man?

God has always preserved a faithful remnant. There have always been a faithful few in all generations who have refused to turn their back on God. The temptation is to believe that we are all alone, that no one else is faithful, but us. The prophet Elijah faced that problem. He reached a point in his life and ministry when he believed he was the last man standing. After having witnessed a powerful miracle by God, and having personally defeated the prophets of Baal, Elijah received a death threat from Queen Jezebel. This bad news caused him to run for his life. Then, when confronted by God, he answered, ““I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:10 ESV). He was all alone. He was the only one left who remained faithful to God. Or so he thought. But God corrected his thinking, saying, “Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18 ESV). Elijah was not alone. There were others who shared his love for God and his desire to serve Him alone. God had preserved a remnant. But Elijah needed to be reminded that, for all his claims of belief and faith in God, for all his efforts on behalf of God, he had stopped placing His hope in God. He had let his circumstances dictate his conclusions about life and about God's ability to intervene in his situation. That small remnant of faithful Jews living in Judah had no idea what was going to happen. They could not argue with God regarding His assessment of their nation. They were fully aware of the sins taking place all around them. And they were not completely innocent themselves. While they were comparatively faithful compared to the majority of their peers, they were still sinful. They knew God was just in His pronouncement of judgment. But they didn't know what the future held for them. They were going to have to continue to trust God.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

Peter told the believers living in his day the same thing. They were living in a time of great persecution and difficulty. These relatively new believers found themselves facing all kinds of opposition. But Peter reminds them to keep their eyes focused on their future hope. He wanted them to remain faithful to God in the midst of all their difficulties. They were going to be tempted to take a look at their current conditions and give up. But Peter told them to look up. “Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see” (1 Peter 1:3-5 NLT). Something greater was coming. God was going to preserve them through their current difficulties because He had promised them something better in the future. Peter went on to tell them, “There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT). The key to surviving the trials of life was to keep their hope focused on the faithfulness of God. And in the meantime to live their lives according to the reality of their future destiny. Peter told them, “So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as ‘temporary residents’” (1 Peter 1:17 NLT). They were to continue to live holy, set apart lives. Their future hope was to have a present reality to it. Their faith in God's promise of future glorification was to be the impetus for their present conduct. “Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory” (1 Peter 1:21 NLT). Because Jesus died and was raised again, we can know that our future hope is secure – no matter what we see happening around us. The trials of this life test the purity of our faith. When things get tough, do we give up or do we look up? When difficulties come, do we focus on our circumstances or turn our eyes to our faithful, promise-keeping God?

Father, help me to keep my eyes focused on You. Don't let me get distracted by the temporary trials of this world. The troubles of this life simply test where my hope and allegiances lie. While this world will constantly disappoint me, You never will. And while You may delay in bringing about Your future reward, help me not to grow weary or to give up. May I live with my eyes firmly focused on the hope that is yet to come. Amen

The Storms of Life.

John 6:15-21

“Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough.” – John 6:18 NLT

John's account of this event is short and sweet. He leaves out a lot of the details that Matthew and Mark provide. He simply tells us that the disciples, having waited for Jesus, went ahead and started to sail back across the Lake. According to Mark's account, Jesus had insisted that the disciples go ahead and return to Bethsaida, on the other side of the lake. Jesus had intended to get away by Himself for some time in prayer. But it would appear that the disciples decided to wait for Jesus. When it became dark, they finally did what Jesus had told them to do. About halfway across the lake, a sudden storm blew in. They had been here before. But this time Jesus was not with them. While several of the disciples were seasoned fishermen, the majority of them were landlubbers. They were out of their element and way out of their comfort zone. They were at the mercy of the waves and the wind. There was little they could do about it but continue to row and try to make shore.

In the midst of all the chaos and confusion, there suddenly appeared a form moving across the surface of the water. With the blowing mist and the darkness, it was difficult to make out what it was. But it appeared to look like a man walking on the water. The very sight of it terrified them. Their fear of the storm was replaced by the fear of this apparition. Little did they know at the time that it was Jesus. According to Mark, Jesus had seen their predicament while standing on the shore. This in itself is a miracle, because they were three or four miles away and it was dark. But Jesus saw the clearly. And Mark says, "He saw that that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard, and struggling against the wind and the waves" (Mark 6:48 NLT). Jesus saw what was happening. So what did He do? "Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, but when they saw him walking on the water they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost" (Mark 6:48-49 NLT). This is an important point. Jesus intended to go past them or pass them by. But John says, "suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat" (John 6:19 NLT). It seems that Jesus had every intention of them seeing Him. He wanted them to see and sense His presence in the middle of the storm. He could have calmed the storm while standing on the shore. But instead, He literally walked out to them in the midst of the storm. He was in the storm with them. And He was in a seemingly worse spot than they were – He had no boat!

Jesus called out to the disciples over the wind and the crashing waves. He said, "Don't be afraid. I am here!" (John 6:20 NLT). I think it's interesting that He didn't say, "Waves be still! Wind be calm!" He didn't speak to the storm. No, He spoke to the disciples. And He assured them of His presence. He was right there with them. He was in the middle of their storm. If He could walk on the waters of their storm, certainly they could row over them to safety. But that wasn't enough for the disciples. John tells us that "they were eager to let him in the boat" (John 6:21 NLT). They wanted Jesus in the boat with them. And I think they also wanted Him to calm the storm around them. But we have to remember that Jesus had seen their situation from a distance. He knew what was happening. And He didn't seem shocked or overly concerned. They were three to four miles away and Jesus decided to walk that distance to them. We don't know how long it took. But it does not appear that He was in any rush. He didn't suddenly appear to them. He didn't just show up in the boat. He walked to them. He saw their circumstances and then calmly revealed Himself in the midst of them.

There is nothing that happens in our lives that Jesus is not fully aware of. As God, He can see everything. And there is never a point in time that He is caught off guard or shocked by the circumstances and storms of our lives. Not only does He see, but He shows up. At just the right time. And He tells us, "Don't be afraid. I am here!" There is no storm great enough to keep Him away. He simply walks into our situation and shows Himself to us. Smack dab in the middle of the storm. There were going to be other storms for the disciples. Their lives were going to be filled with dark and difficult days. Jesus had already told them, "But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with ships in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers" (Matthew 10:17-18 NLT). The storms were coming. But Jesus would be with them. He was not going to abandon them. And we have that same assurance today. We are not promised a storm-free life, but we are promised the presence and power of Christ. He will never leave us or forsake us. And He will always show up in the difficult times. He will reveal Himself to us. And we will see Him if we look for Him.

Father, thank You for the constant abiding presence of Jesus in my life. Forgive me for the many times I allow the storms of my life to convince me that He is nowhere to be found. But nothing could be farther from the truth. He is there. He is always there. And that constant presence should provide me with overwhelming peace – even in the middle of the storms of life. Amen.