07/31/2023
Are we steadfast in our faith? Are we allowing God to work in us so that we might be perfected and brought to completion? These are my thoughts for this morning and I invite you to join me in them.
“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 1:3-4 ESV
Testing our faith... my first reaction is to tell you that this doesn't happen, that God doesn't test us, but then I look back on what transpired in the McDonald's parking lot when I became angry with a man over a parking spot (see my thoughts on 7/26/2023) and suddenly I realize that testing, or challenging my faith does occur. I learn so many lessons regarding the depth of my faith when the waters of my life go from calm to rough, or from rough, to tempest tossed. The things I proclaim in the calm of my church, or prayer chair, take on a new dimension when suddenly put to the test in my life beyond the lighthouse at the mouth of my safe harbor. Have you faced storms in the open sea of life?
A few years ago I wrote this for my son and his girlfriend when he sent me a picture of them standing next to a lighthouse in Portland Maine...
Of God and the Eyes of the Sea
By Rich Forbes
If man's eyes are the window to the soul
Then lighthouses are the eyes of the sea
From whence curious men venture
Into the majestic beyond
Then seek safe harbor, sure refuge,
And thee.
We prepare ourselves in faith while we are moored in our safe harbors, but God didn't design us to remain there... we are meant to go out onto the ocean and serve Him in far off places of faith where storms rage, and all is not calm. We are meant to go out and face the challenges to our faith as we bring the goods of the gospel to the world, and then return to home port, and sure refuge in Christ, with encouragement for those yet to venture forth.
My father-in-law served in the Navy during WWII, and he would tell us of taking his ship on a shake-down voyage prior to going off to sea, and to war. They took their ship onto the Chesapeake Bay and steamed about as they perfected their individual jobs, and repaired anything about the ship that wasn't in perfect shape. He told us of the captain ramming the dock at Annapolis Maryland as they practiced and how embarrassing that was, but finally they were ready and the LST (Landing Ship Transport) that they were aboard headed onto the open sea and into storms and battles in the Pacific Ocean.
Our faith is like this. We do what we can in the safety of the harbor; we stock up with provisions and a cargo of scripture, then we face a controlled trial before finally sailing past the safety of our lighthouse onto an unpredictable sea. We sail out to deliver the good news of Jesus Christ to those who are awaiting its arrival. Our trial is meant to get us ready for what God has intended us to do from the beginning. Then we do that thing, and finally, we return back to the safety that our lighthouse represents, drop anchor once more, and deliver encouragement to other countrymen as they prepare to sail forth themselves.
God uses trial to help us prepare ourselves for the Callings He has for us, but He can't send us forth until we have reached a certain degree of readiness. The question I ask myself this morning: "Am I allowing God to work in me that I might be perfected and brought to completion?" is a crucial one, and speaks volumes about my spiritual motivation. Am I a willing participant in God’s plan for me, or still in need of training?
Perhaps, when I answer this question, I will find that I am I ready for the open sea, that I am shipshape, and prepared for an even more challenging adventure than I have ever taken before.. Or, maybe I will find that I am one of the working boats of the harbor that services the tall ships, and listens to their tales of encouragement when they return home... never venturing past the lighthouse myself. Tall ship or not, I am important nonetheless. Whatever my role is in God's plan, whether a ship, a boat, or a dingy, I must be prepared to do my job for the kingdom, and this involves testing and trials as I am perfected, or repaired.
So when I faced my anger in the local McDonald's parking lot it was a test, a trial, a shake-down voyage. The answer it revealed told me whether I was ready for the next step in my preparation, correction, or was ready for the great voyage of faith itself. Our Father is not capricious and every challenge we face serves His purpose, as it readies us for His use.
Are we ready to set sail and venture forth?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for the trials in my life. I thank you for each test I face that prepares me, and makes me ready for your Call. I long for the sea Father, and I long to sail past the lighthouse that guides me to and fro into your safe harbor. Jesus said "I am the light of the world" and He is my lighthouse. He leads me in and out of the safe harbor of your presence. He guides me past the rocks as I sail forth, and He is the light that my eyes seek desperately in the midst of the storms I face. Holy Father, I thank you for the light that shines from your Son, and I thank you for your lessons and preparation that allow me to sail forth to do your bidding. Keep me safe on my voyage Father, and may the tests I have faced be sufficient in their preparation. Teach me always Lord, so that I might serve you in greater ways each day… in every voyage I take.
“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."”
John 8:12 ESV
Rich Forbes