Faith and Tension

Life and ministry are filled with tension aren’t they? Somedays I feel very spiritual, like I could move a mountain with my prayers. Other days, my mind races at 1,000 miles per minute trying to think of strategies to raise money, help our missionaries, and do what God has called me to do. Maybe Abraham felt a certain tension when God promised him a son and he tried to make something happen on his own. Maybe the Apostle Paul, no slouch in the faith department, felt the tension too when he made tents. Paul, one of the greatest theological intellects to ever walk the planet, worked with his hands. We serve a Creator who can walk on the water and cause others to do so, yet for most of His earthly ministry he sailed to and fro on a boat.

I remember when my dad was sick with dementia for ten years, we earnestly prayed and believed God for his healing, but we still needed a caregiver to stop by sometimes and help him get out of bed. How do we walk by faith and not by sight? Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow. I mean, the lilies don’t worry, why should I? And yet, I’m not a plant, so I must confess, I do worry from time to time.

It’s easy to be philosophically or theologically correct, but daily life is where the rubber meets the road. As many others have said, it is our actions that reveal what we really believe. It’s easy to have faith for someone else, but in the back of our minds, we wonder if God really sees us the way we’re so confident He sees someone else.

There are no easy answers. My guess is that this struggle is partially what life is all about. The great men and women of old struggled with this tension, why would I expect things to be any different for you or me? 2023 is almost over. 2024 is almost here. I have hopes and dreams. I have struggles and tensions. But most of all, I have faith in the One who knows my weakness, yet will cause all things to be alright in the end.

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:26–28)