Faith

As Jacob was in the wrestling match of his life he didn’t know who he was ultimately struggling with.

Was it Esau himself, one of his soldiers, or simply someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time? Either way, this was a test of all tests that ultimately pushed Jacob to his breaking limits. In many ways, our faith must be tested to prove to ourselves whether it is genuine or circumstantially based. For me that manifests itself anytime my schedule dictates flying for travel. I absolutely love watching planes majestically take off and land. In fact, standing in a field and watching planes can be a great way to destress.

Faith comes into play when it is time to stop standing by watching and start doing something. The walk down the jet bridge is when my faith begins to manifest itself. No matter the flight, that final step off the bridge onto the aircraft moves me from a passive enthusiast to an active participant. That step is usually taken with some amount of trepidation and although I never know the final outcome of the flight, my faith is rooted in something much greater. Thus I am able to find my seat and enjoy the adventure.

The book of Hebrews tells us that faith ultimately comes down to two items - Assurance and Conviction. They are often tied to items that we long for but have not occurred. Pulling on this harder, if faith is tied to a guaranteed outcome is it truly faith at all? It most certainly can’t be. In fact, faith can only be genuine or fake.

Faith that is fake couples directly to the circumstances we find ourselves in. When we are riding high, things are going well and nothing is slowing us down. It is easy to say we were acting in faith. However, when our back is against the wall, when we are not sure which way to turn and God reveals the next step of obedience we should take, are we taking it? Upon reflection, it seems that once tested, faith takes on an entirely new light in our lives; one of meaning and personal conviction.

As we wrestle with God we create opportunities to strengthen our faith to a level of sincerity and genuine authenticity that cannot be achieved without the struggle. As we see all throughout Scripture. the people with the greatest examples of faith endured the hardest trials. Embrace each wrestling match as an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with God instead of an excuse to distance yourself from Him.

Questions to Consider

1. What distinguishes genuine faith from circumstantial faith?
2. Why is it important to embrace challenges as opportunities to deepen one's relationship with God rather than distancing oneself from Him?