Dear Missionary Lady,
Greetings in the name of our faithful God. He remains faithful even when we falter, but praise God that He also helps us to be faithful. Following is the next section in my study on praying during suffering.
Category Nine - Enduring Faith
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that
he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not”
(Luke 22:31-32a). The previous categories have explored various foundations for
prayer that are each rooted in Scripture, but this is very interesting, because
it is what Jesus Himself prayed regarding Peter’s time of struggle. Jesus
prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail under the Satanic attack.
Peter himself later echoed this same concept. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith” (I Peter 5:8-9). Peter linked the idea of resisting Satan with remaining firm in faith. Paul had the very same concern for the church in Thessalonica. “And sent Timotheus … to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith: that no man should be moved by these afflictions … I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain” (I Thessalonians 3:2-5). Paul feared that the afflictions and Satanic attack would result in a derailed faith.
Probably each of us has seen or heard instances where Christians have turned away from their faith during times of testing. We have probably also heard Christians say, “I would never turn away!” The inspired cautions above by Jesus, Peter, and Paul indicate that this temptation to turn aside is a very real danger. By God’s grace, many do remain faithful, but it is presumptuous to confidently assert that there is no possibility of falling. Many believers who have thought themselves strong have been surprised by their weakness under the right trial, either due to its particular nature, to its intensity or length, or to the combination of successive (and seemingly unending) challenges. Even if just for a short time, it is not uncommon to confront times of doubt and wavering.
The concept of struggling faith involves more than just Satanic attack. God wants to know that our faith is genuine. He wants to prove its worth and purity. “Ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith … though it be tried with fire” (I Peter 1:6-7). “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you” (I Peter 4:12). Anyone can say he follows God when life is wonderful, but the true heart emerges when life is less than wonderful.
God wants to see faith. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). The entire chapter of Hebrews 11 is filled with examples of believers who were tested and who responded in enduring faith, and so they received the approval of God.
Abraham was one such example. God progressively confronted Abraham with more intense challenges to his faith. Abraham did not always respond perfectly, but his overall pattern was that he persisted and grew in faith, even when impossibility shouted loudly. “Who against hope believed in hope … and being not weak in faith … He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (Romans 4:18-21). Abraham endured the trial of waiting because he had faith in God's promise.
We do not have specific divine promises for the particular circumstances of our lives, as Abraham did. While we do not know that God will certainly deliver us from our earthly suffering, we can have faith in His promises, His Word, and His character. Because of what we know of God, I believe it is appropriate to have faith that He CAN deliver, even though we don’t know that He WILL deliver. As was discussed under category one (praying for deliverance), sometimes God is answering more important prayers from other categories, rather than immediate physical deliverance. We can still endure in our faith that God is good, wise, and powerful, and that He is worthy of following.
God wants us to resolutely cling to faith, to endure, regardless of the source of the suffering. Is it Satan’s attack? Is it God’s testing? Is it unjust human treatment? Endure in faith. “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. … But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. … [Christ] committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (I Peter 2:19-23).
We often say that we want to please God during our suffering, and rightly so. One major way to do that is simply to remain anchored to God, faithfully and patiently following Him regardless of circumstances. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. … Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:35-36,38).
Part of the reason for God’s approval in such situations is the motivation for the endurance. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him” (James 1:12). The persevering is a sign of our love for God. When we love Him, we don’t turn away from Him, but rather trust Him even in the difficulties.
Paul’s prayer that the Thessalonians would not fail in their faith (I Th. 3:2-5) was answered! He was later able to rejoice that they had faced their afflictions with enduring faith. “So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure” (II Thessalonians 1:4).
How is it possible for faith to endure? In the weakness of our human flesh, it is not possible. As much as we desire and determine that we won’t be one of the spiritual casualties, the reality is that we cannot trust in ourselves to obtain that objective. “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us” (II Corinthians 1:9-10). Our hope to be kept is only in God. We must fix our eyes firmly on our Savior and so be encouraged in our faith. “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:3).
“Father, I realize the seriousness of this danger, and I do not want to turn from my faith in You, not even slightly or for a short time. My resolve and willpower are not enough to keep me. I need Your help. Help me to keep my eyes on You. Please grant me Your hope and strength so that I can continue to follow You faithfully, no matter what happens. May You be pleased by my purified and enduring faith that stems from my love for You, and may my faithfulness be an encouragement to others.”
May God strengthen you this week as you continue in this earthly journey of faith.
Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
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