07/25/2018
How does hardship affect us, and specifically, how do we react to illness or calamity that threatens to take our life? Do we remain steadfast in our faith, or do we give up on God and believe only in our own demise? Suffering, and facing imminent death lays waste to the importance of all the things of life that once seemed so valuable to us, and whittles us down to just those that are central to our core... what is that for you? Do you even know?
“Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face."”
Job 2:4-5 ESV
In the story of Job, Satan was confident that Job would give up his faith if he was to suffer enough. Satan thought that in the end, when the pain and discomfort had reached a crescendo, his body was reduced to a mass of boils and putrid puss, and all that he had acquired in life was taken from him... he would abandon God. Yet Job held onto his faith, he refused to see his torment in the way that Satan expected, and even when those around him, including his wife, told him to curse God and die, he would not; why?
Why was it that Job would not release his grasp on faith, even in the face of what all his friends, and family saw as overwhelming evidence God had abandoned him? I find it interesting that the faith of those around Job was shaken, and shown to be weak, and easily discarded, by the trial Job was experiencing... was his situation so dire and repulsive that it caused them to suffer out of empathy, or was it their love be for this man? I mention this only to reveal the strength of this core belief that Job held so tightly to, and to demonstrate the faithful weakness of the world about him.
So back to my question... do you even know what the attributes are that make up your core beliefs, or are so valuable to you that they will be held unto death? Contemplate this today, and list in your mind those basic characteristics, or possessions that you hold this precious, then rate them in importance. What is the one thing that sits at the pinnacle of who you are? What is the one thing that you would hold onto at all cost? To a wealthy man it might be his money, and holdings, to a mother and father it might be the love of their family, to an adventurer it might be his independence... what is it about you that defines you, and can’t be released without destroying who you are?
Now with our list in hand, run your finger down the items you have prioritized until you find your faith in God. How far from the top was it, was there even a mention of it there? If you placed it at the top of your list, did you do so because it was true, or because you knew it was the object of our exploration today? Did you place it number one because of your pride and the fear someone might see your list and think less of you, or because it was true? Think on this, and search yourself for the honest answer. If it was honestly the focus and most central characteristic of your life, then it should be unshakeable.
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
James 1:2-4 ESV
Some of us have faced this moment of ultimate reckoning; this time in life when the forge is running at it highest temperature and all the things that are not part of our pure selves are being burnt away. In this moment there is no lying to yourself, and who you truly are is revealed for all to see. This is the moment of truth when we find what all of our life’s many trials has perfected in us. Will your trials have produced a steadfast faith?
Peter thought his faith in Jesus had been perfected. Remember these words?
“Peter said to him, "Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."”
John 13:37 ESV
But Jesus told him something that Peter would deny, even to himself...
“Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.”
John 13:38 ESV
Peter was confident he would not do this. He felt his belief in Jesus was strong enough to withstand the fire of the forge, but when put to the test it was not...
“And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.”
Luke 22:61-62 ESV
This is Peter, the man on whom Jesus said He would Build His Church. This is the man Jesus called a rock. So what happened?
What happened to Peter is what Satan had predicted would happen to Job. He denied Jesus to save his own life. If this is true of Peter then who are we right now, and where on our list of core characteristics is our faith really at? This moment of failure was also a moment of epiphany for Peter, and changed who he was... this was a visit to the forge that showed him where his faith really was at that moment, and revealed to him how far he needed to go. Peter did become the Rock, and the church of Jesus Christ was founded upon him, but before that could happen, he had to face the truth about his faith... he had to enter the forge.
Perhaps it is true that your faith is at the top of your list of core characteristics and beliefs, but just maybe, like Peter, this is only a hopeful claim. This is why we visit the forge; this is why we find joy in hardship and suffering... they reveal to us our true character, and the absolute order of our list. Are you brave enough to face the forge with your eyes open? Are you strong enough to accept what it will show you? The true nature of Job was revealed, just as it was with Peter, one was found pure, and the other had a few more ounces of impurity removed. Where are you in your faith today, and do you look at the times in the forge with dread, or as God does... a tool to reveal who we really are right now. In truth, the forge allows us to see ourselves through the eyes of a God, and gives us an opportunity to better ourselves in faith because of that. Are we ready to really see who we are?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for my faith, and I thank you for every trial and suffering I undergo; each purifies my faith a bit more. I thank you Holy Father for revealing my true self to me, and for allowing me to come to you in contrition at what I find there. You forgive me Father, and help me to increase my faith in you through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I know that I am like a Peter, and that there are things in my walk with you that I feel confident in, yet which are still lacking. Perfect me Gracious Father, and never let me squint my eyes closed out of fear for what I might see. Give me courage to face the truth about myself, give me the strength to fix what I find there, and give me the humility it takes to ask for your help and forgiveness. You are great in all your ways, and good, even in the calamity and suffering I undergo in life. Shape me in my life Father, and make of me a righteous plate, and jar that can hold the bread and wine of Jesus as I sit at your table. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God, who opens His eyes to me, and shows me the path to righteousness, and His Holiness. Praised be your name in the good and bad times of life, for you are my good teacher, and make me new as you give me a new name.
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Matthew 16:18 ESV
Rich Forbes