I think that, every once in a while, I'm going to do a post specifically dedicated to the Faith. I want to call the group of them Robin In the Raw, because it's gonna be just me, nothing else, sharing about what I believe.
So, without further ado... put on some background praise music and let's get crackin'!
Wednesday night (I guess technically last night), I went back to Shades Mountain Baptist with one of my best friends, Emily, who goes to UAB. Little did I know that the worship service and message were going to be exactly what I needed. See, the past few weeks have been extremely trying. My anxiety has been skyrocketing off and on, and on top of it all, I was not getting good, heart-pouring-out worship in my life. So, when the worship leader began singing Forever Reign, I felt this overwhelming sense of peace, comfort, release, joy, and gratefulness all at the same time. It's like, you know, when you sit down to eat a meal, and you don't realize just how starving you were until you begin eating? It was just like that. It felt INCREDIBLE to be surrounded by other believers, and to be able to pour my heart out to my beautiful Savior.
After we finished singing, the actual pastor of Shades, Danny Wood, got on stage to preach. I, of course, didn't know who he was, but when I saw how excited Emily was when she told me that he was the pastor, I knew that this was about to be good. Before he began, he had two students read Hebrews 11. Having never studied this chapter, I didn't realize that it is basically the Faith Hall of Fame. It begins with Abel and ends with those who have been martyred for their faith. These people are the Heroes of the Faith. For all of the things that these people did- Noah building a giant boat in a place that had never seen rain, Moses refusing royalty to live with his true family, and Gideon defeating armies of tens of thousands with his army of three hundred- they all have this in common: they persevered in their faith and they were rewarded for it. This is amazing stuff to read, but how often do we apply it to our own lives? Do we have perseverance in faith? Many of us can't say that we do. Thinking about the things we go through living in a first world country and comparing them to the things what the people in this passage went through, we have absolutely no reason to be weak in our faith. But we're lazy. We're scared. We're comfortable. It's time to fix that, people. If we can't stick it through the not-difficult-but-slightly-uncomfortable things, what makes you think we're going to be able to see through some horrible tragedy. Brother Wood gave 6 points to help us persevere.
1. Focus on the unseen. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says, "So we do not loose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light monetary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." This life may be (and probably is) full of hardships. If we focus on the hard, unpleasant things, we are going to miss out on the amazing life that God has planned for us. If we focus on what is to come for us, and who has gone before us, we realize that it's all worth it.
2. Believe God is, even when it looks like He isn't. I don't know about you, but there have been a few times in my life when I've wondered if God is even paying attention to me. I feel like he is looking the other way, completely oblivious to the fact that all of these bad things are happening to me. Guess what? He's paying very, very close attention. He hears every single hateful word said to you, He sees every time you get cut off in traffic, He knows when you loose your job. He knows, and He cares. Though it may not seem like it at the time, He's got you right where He wants you, and you're going to thank Him for it later.
3. Be prepared for God to ask you to endure rather than escape. Hebrews 11:35b-38: "Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword.They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth." I gotta admit, this was the hardest one for me. When times get tough, our (or at least my) first prayer is for God to get me out of the situation as soon as possible. If I'm sick, I wanna feel better. If I'm having relationship problems, I want the other person to see that I'm right. If I'm feeling lonely, I want a boyfriend RIGHT NOW. Guess what? Sometimes, we're meant to stick it out. It's gonna be hard. It's gonna hurt. We might not see immediate reward. But it will be so worth it. The people in this passage were tortured and killed in the most brutal ways imaginable. We do not, and probably will never, know the pain and suffering they went through. They never once asked God to get them out, though. Not once did they say, "Alright God, I give up. It's not worth it." No, they stuck it out, and though they never saw reward in their earthly lives, the second they got to Heaven, they were greeted with rewards our human minds could never begin to comprehend.
4. Biblical faith may have a variety of outcomes. Not every faith story in the Bible ends the same way. Where Abraham had a multitude of children that populated the earth, Moses died before seeing any of his labor come to a conclusion. Where Abel was killed by his own brother for his faith, Rahab's entire family was spared from death because she hid the spies. There is no guarantee that you will see the grand result of your faithfulness in this physical life, but there will be a grand result, if you are truly faithful.
5. Faith will be rewarded. As mentioned multiple times before, if you shown true, sincere, steadfast faith, you will be rewarded. You are guaranteed a reward in Heaven, but you may be lucky enough to receive one here on Earth as well.
6. This one gets me excited. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Hebrews 12:1-2: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." While you're struggling through the hard times, focus on the goal. Focus on your Savior, waiting with a smile and open arms at the end. If that's not enough to get you excited, get this: all of those people listed in Hebrews 11 are cheering you on. They are on the sidelines, chanting your name, telling you that you can do it. They've been there. They've been through the times where none of it seems worth it. They've made it to the end and realized that every second, every step was worth it. Seriously, I just love the thought of it! The heroes of the faith are rooting for me. They want to see us succeed! Isn't that amazing?
So, there it is. Persevere. Stick it out. Stay faithful. Because it's all worth it in the end.
On a random sidebar, my sweet friend Giann is doing a giveaway of an amazing book on her blog! Go check it out and enter for a chance to win!
http://joyisnothappiness.blogspot.com/2013/10/101-posts-giveaway.html
Thank you SO MUCH for reading!
{All scripture is from the English Standard Version}
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