Strength in Adversity

“And what more shall I say?  For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.  Women received back their dead by resurrection.  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.  And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” –Hebrews 11:32-40 (ESV) [Read Hebrews 11]

Hebrews 11 has oftentimes been referred to as “The Roll Call of Faith” chapter.  The writer began the chapter with a definition of faith that many of us perhaps have memorized in order to hold its meaning close in our minds:  “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 1:1).  Faith is the persistent hope in the promises of God.  He will perform what He has promised.  With such a strong statement on faith, we are assured that it is not a blind trust, meaningless and vague, but such a faith is confident trust that God will perform His purposes, even though His followers may have to endure hardships and adversity. Then comes the listing of those heroes of the faith from the Old Testament, all of whom the readers of Hebrews would have studied about and been familiar with:  Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel—to list those named.  Then came those who are not personally named but who likewise endured great adversity:  prophets, those who stopped lions (Daniel, David, Samson), the many who were recipients of God’s promises, those who worked to strengthen the kingdom of Israel and escaped the edge of the sword, those who were made strong in times of weakness, the widow of Zarephath whose son was raised from the dead by the prophet Elisha.  Those who were mocked, flogged, imprisoned and beaten could have referred to both Old Testament saints and New Testament era Christians who were and would be persecuted for their faith.  What we learn from these verses is that those who trust in the Lord do not escape adversity and hardships but are granted strength to endure.  Those from the Old Testament era did not live to see the coming of the Messiah as had those early Christians to whom the letter of Hebrews was written.  Yet they died anticipating that future hope.  And the “something better for us” is the new covenant with the coming of the Son of God, and living with the knowledge that this promise of God was indeed fulfilled.  Assuredly, the saints of the Old Testament in this glorious roll-call of faith will partake of the same end-times perfection as those who have experienced the coming of God’s Son as the propitiation of our sins, as has been aptly stated:  “sinless selves in deathless resurrection bodies.” 

Then comes this very strong admonition which we should live by:  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and the 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” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Prayer:  Lord, You have not promised us that all will be easy on the Christian journey.  But you have promised Your Presence and Your Help.  May Americans of faith renew their vows before You and depend, as did the heroes of the faith, on Your strength in adversity. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

When Doubts Arise

“Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? –Psalm 77:7-9 (NKJV). “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.’ And Peter answered Him and said ‘Lord if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’ So He said, ‘Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!’ And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’”-Matthew 14:27-31 (NKJV).

When I talk to persons today, I sense an underlying pessimism, a near hopelessness, despondency, doubts bordering even on despair. I hear dissatisfaction about the state of our government and laments about the deep financial debts our country wavers under, the corruption in high places, the burdens of unemployment, loss of houses, high taxes. And these laments are based on truth: we live in “perilous times.” Just as the Psalmist stated in Psalm 77:2, “My soul refused to be comforted.” The Psalmist likewise remembered “the days of old, the years of ancient times,” (v. 5) as we are prone to do, remembering “better times,” when life was simpler and times (from our golden memories) were better. The Psalmist poses a series of questions in 77:7-9, much like our present laments about the conditions of our nation and the world. Where is God in all this trouble? I paired the questions of doubt from Psalms with the account of Peter trying to walk on the water. Symbolically, I think there is a striking parallel. Peter, confident, enthusiastic, unaware of his own weakness, started toward Jesus on the water. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, the water held no fears for him; amazingly, he was ‘walking on water’ (buoyant, unafraid). But then his attention shifted, and he became aware of the wind and the boisterous waves. When he took his eyes off Jesus, he began to sink. I thought how appropriately the questions of doubt posed by the Psalmist parallel our doubts, fears and loss of faith in our government and in the present social condition with all its ills. We should be aware of what is wrong, yes. But as Queen Esther of old was asked by her Uncle Mordecai: “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). Just as God prepared Esther and placed her in a prominent position in King Ahasuerus’ court in Persia (about 485 B. C.), just like Peter’s attempt to walk on water and nearly sinking, until Jesus rescued him, we should think that we Christians live in these turbulent times to dispel our own doubts and fears and to encourage and mentor those who hold such dark views of the times. Not that we should see through rose-colored glasses; we do, indeed live in a time of turning away from God, of injustice, sinfulness, and loss of hope. But above the troubled seas of our times, Jesus says, “Come!” And He holds out life, and hope and a way. “Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Since the sad event of 9/11/2001 when planes rammed into Twin Towers in New York in a terrible act of terrorism, America has been beset by fears and doubts. I am reminded of what President Franklin Delano Roosevelt told the American people after we faced the attack on Pearl
Harbor on December 7, 1941: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” It takes a deliberate act of the will and much prayer to overcome the strong doubts and pessimism that rob us of peace of mind and prevent us from standing in the gap and acting upon our faith. Jesus still holds out His hand, as He did to Peter on the Sea of Galilee, and His invitation is still “Come!” I like the hymn we sometimes still sing in our churches: “Higher Ground.” Its words have a clarion call to us to move forward with the Lord. In this time of doubt, down-sliding and depression, the only way to look is up to Jesus, the “author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Think on these words of “Higher Ground” by Johnson Oatman, Jr. (1856-1926): “My heart has no desire to stay/Where doubts arise and fears dismay; Though some may dwell where these abound/My prayer my aim is higher ground.” When doubts arise (and they will), leave them behind and soar on wings of faith!

Running the Christian Race

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” – I Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV).

Paul the Apostle used the example of the Greek athletic contests held every two years at Corinth to teach a lesson on perseverance and spiritual discipline in the Christian life. The outstanding athlete won accolades and a wreath worn proudly. When the winner arrived back in his home town, he was welcomed as a hero, poems were written about him, sometimes a statue was erected to the winner, often the winner was excused from paying taxes, and he was seated in a place of honor at festivals and meetings. Paul urges constant diligence to self-discipline and keeping the body under control. He changes momentarily from emphasis on running a race and winning to boxing thin air, a useless exercise. He gives in these verses two major reasons for discipline: one is to win the race; the other is to be an example. For what use would Paul’s preaching have if he himself would be disqualified by a life that did not practice what he preaches? Vigilance is necessary for a good athlete, right living, exacting practice, and concentration on winning the prize in the race. We as Christians keep our minds and bodies on the race and our eyes on the goal—not a perishable wreath—but eternal life.

The ancient Olympic Games began at Olympia, Greece in Peloponesus in 776 B. C. These lasted until 393 AD. Revived in more modern times, these four-year contests feature both summer and winter sports, with major cities around the world vying for the opportunity to host the games. All participants take the Olympic oath, promising to hold to the highest ideals of sportsmanship. “Citius, Altius, Fortius” (Swifter, Higher, Stronger) are the ideals to which all participating athletes aspire. In our Christian race, we likewise strive to be “swifter, higher and stronger” for the Lord. We do not acquire the skills of living the Christian life in the same way athletes aspire to enter the Olympics. However, as Paul urged, we are to exercise self-control in all things. We are to bring our bodies into submission and participate in earnest Bible study, prayer, worship, stewardship and service. These should be desired by and practiced eagerly by all who have called upon the Lord for salvation and been saved by grace. The writer of Hebrews gave us a good summary of running the Christian race: “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.” (Hebrews 12:1-2, ESV).