Steadfast Faith

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2–3 ESV)

Since the passing of my father, August which represents his birth month, has always been tough for me and my family. His passing five years ago shook our family to its very core. There are not many aspects of his funeral that stick out, but I recall begging God to tell me why this had to happen. Then I recall hearing one of the speakers saying, “As strange as it may seem, one of the primary purposes of being shaken by suffering is to make our faith more unshakable.”

That statement always stuck with me. It forced me, in my worse moments, to look at what God was doing in those circumstances and how He was strengthening my faith. How God was making me stronger in Him. 

Faith is like muscle tissue: if you stress it to the limit, it gets stronger, not weaker. That’s what the book of James means by the opening scripture. When your faith is threatened and tested and stretched to the breaking point, the result is greater capacity to endure. He calls it steadfastness.

I heard a Pastor say that, “God loves faith so much that he will test it to the breaking point so as to keep it pure and strong.” I think Paul is the perfect example of steadfast faith. According to 2 Corinthians 1:8–9

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.”

2 Corinthians 1:8–9 (ESV)

The words “but that was to” show that there was a purpose in this extreme suffering: it was in order that, or for the purpose that  Paul would not rely on himself and his resources, but on God. 

God so values our wholehearted faith that He will, graciously, if necessary, take away everything else in the world that we might be tempted to rely on, even life itself. His aim is that we grow deeper and stronger in our confidence that He himself will be all we need.

This is difficult, especially when you are going through a dark place to be steadfast, but you have to remember the many times you trusted Him for something and He delivered. If He delivered you before, not matter how small; He will deliver you again, no matter how big.

He wants us to be able to say with the psalmist,

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:25–26 (ESV)