It's a mysterious thing for so many. For others, it is a well studied language that seems to move their lives forward in ways they never imagined even for themselves.
I move and live in faith...MOST of the time. I believe God for things I can't see because I believe HE sees them for me. I have to. It's part of the gig, right? What good is a pastor without faith?
I have believed God for things that seemed unreasonably unattainable at the time and have seen Him come through for me, my family and my church time and time again. In fact, I am starting a 7-week sermon series on FAITH this Sunday at church! I am always working to grow in my faith just like I want to grow in my ability to love or forgive.
But, want to know a secret? I still have doubts. I wrestle with faith. Just like you, I feel my faith waver from time to time.
Why? Because like ANYONE who believes God repeatedly for healing, miracles and vision for the future, there have been times when I have believed God...in faith...for something, but He didn't answer me.
He didn't show up like I expected Him to.
This leaves any reasonable person with a shadow of doubt. In time, several of these experiences pile up on our faith and leave our confidence in our prayer life or ability to hear God...well, shaken.
For many people, too many faith failures lead to a lack of confidence in God, not just their faith.
So what do you do with that?
In Isaiah 7 there is the story of Ahaz, king of Judah. He ruled in a time of great distress for God's people and the account in chapter 7 tells us that Judah had a pretty good reason for distress. The kings of neighboring countries had taken up arms against them and were on there way to blow Judah away for good. The king and all the people had been asking God for help, but they hadn't seen it the way they expected it to come. So naturally when he got the news, King Ahaz flipped out (along with ALL of Jerusalem) over this bad news.
God tells the prophet Isaiah to find King Ahaz and deliver the message that God would fight their battle and destroy the enemy that had mobilized against them, so don't worry about it!
He also says something that completely rocked me...to. the. core. Isaiah says,
"Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm." (Isaiah ch.7 vs. 9)
WHAT?!? Did you catch that?
However you read that, Isaiah is saying that neither the prophet or God Himself could help Ahaz stand firm if his faith was firm.
So did Isaiah just answer the question about God making a rock so big even HE can't lift it?
More importantly, what are we to do when our faith is well...shaken?
To be honest, I know the religious answers or the pat answers that Peter Pan faith people will fling around to bolster their faith when they don't get the job they want or they can't find a parking spot close to the door after they asked God for one.
Honestly, I've thrown those verses around too. I won't offer glossy throw pillow scriptures or theological-blanket-fortress kinds of responses to great questions of faith and doubt.
What I will do is offer what God is showing me about faith because, well...my faith has been shaken. Not a while back, either. I have led people to faith while my own faith was under attack. I want to be transparent. I want to be honest because I believe you deserve that honesty.
I also believe that the only way to help others is to be honest about my own experiences. God has shown me so much and I can't wait to share it with you!
Until I do,
I wonder if any of you have had your faith shaken?
What did it do to your prayer life or relationship with God?
Are you talking to God about it or have you written Him off?
Do you believe that your faith can ever stand firm again?
Leave a comment and share your story! You never know how others might benefit from knowing that they are not alone with matters of faith and doubt!
jeremiah
