Faith in Jesus is what enables you to face anything and come out as more than a conqueror. God values your faith so much that he sends frequent troubles so that it’ll be strengthened. Faith gives the victory when, through your hardships, you remain steadfast and value Jesus above everything else.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a lesson about faith.
It’s a lesson that my quadriplegia has taught me over the years. My disability has showed me that, without a doubt, God values my faith more than any other quality in my life, except maybe my love. My faith really means something to God, something really big. First John 5:4 puts it this way. It says, “This is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. Who then overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” Wow. In other words, faith in Jesus is our conquering weapon. Faith in Jesus is what enables us to face anything, absolutely anything, and come through it all as more than a conqueror. We can overcome a world of afflictions through our faith. And this is why God values it so highly.
In fact, God prizes our faith so much that he sends frequent troubles so that it’ll be strengthened. He fortifies our faith by testing it. And if our faith is worth anything at all, it will stand the test. I recall someone once saying that impurities are afraid of the fire, but gold is not. Sandstone shivers at the sight of the drill, but not so a diamond. Sapphires that are made out of paste dread pressure, but a real sapphire can endure it. A fake Rembrandt will be quickly exposed, but an authentic masterpiece can pass the scrutiny of a professional art critic.
In the same way, it doesn’t say much about our faith if we can only trust God when things are easy or when things are going our way. Our faith doesn’t mean much if we trust Jesus while we are in good health. But when our health goes south, or we must lie on a sickbed for weeks on end, or back pain becomes unrelenting, God watches to see if it will weaken our faith or strengthen it. For it is in our hardships when faith shines. When we choose to trust Jesus in our suffering, it proves our faith; it shows we think Christ is worth it. Faith gives the victory when, through our hardships, we remain steadfast. It shows beyond a doubt that we value Jesus Christ supremely above and beyond our pain and discomfort.
And that’s what God takes delight in. This is why our faith means something big to him, for it is the vehicle through which his Son, Jesus, receives applause and honor, fame and glory. A sturdy, robust faith that remains unwavering through trials is the same faith that says with Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” Friend, when you can say that, perhaps from a chemotherapy chair, or in a hospital waiting room, or in a funeral parlor, or in a lonely college dorm room, when in great discomfort or loss we can say with Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him,” it shows your faith to be victorious; the kind that overcomes the world. It showcases Jesus as the great and glorious Savior that God knows he is, all because you choose him, prefer him, and trust him through your suffering.
One day in heaven, it will all feel so much more heavenly to those whose faith has been tested, bruised, battered, tried time and again. Yes, that’s right, heaven will feel more heavenly because we will see how our tested and refined faith through suffering magnified the glory and beauty of our wonderful Savior. So today, whatever difficulties you’re going through, no matter how sorrowful or painful things are, I hope you can say with Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.”
© Joni and Friends