We usually think of Paul as the wise counselor teaching us how to live as Christians and Peter as the bumbling uneducated screwup, who Jesus chose to show us that anyone can succeed with God behind them, but some of the wisest counsel that any Christian could receive was presented by Peter in his first letter. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:3-7). In these verses, Peter tells us that faith is the key to our salvation and that it will result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus returns for us.
Faith. It is among the three top qualities that every Christian must have. Paul tells us that we need faith, hope, and love. Of course, love is the top priority, but that does not mean that faith is not necessary. What is faith? The words translated as faith in the Bible can also be translated as belief and trust. Hebrews gives us a definition of faith: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). In other words, we are sure that the promises that we have been given by God are true and that we will receive the rewards that He has promised even if it has not happened yet, and even if the present evidence does not seem to support His word.
Too often, our faith proves to be shallow and weak when we undergo the trials that Peter spoke of. We state with confidence that we believe in God until a trial comes, and then we suddenly give up and stop trusting God to be with us when life throws a curve ball. When hardships come into our lives, we wallow in our doubts instead of stepping forward in the confidence that Jesus will take care of us. Paul and Silas sang as they sat chained in a jail cell, but we whine and complain because we do not like our job or because someone was rude to us. If we cannot keep trusting God when small difficulties arise, how will we have faith in the truly desperate times? Are we too soft nowadays and not willing to endure trials? Or maybe, we have the opposite problem. Maybe, we are so broken by the cruelties of this world that we have difficulties trusting anyone, including God. In either case, we need to develop a faith which will stand up to the trials of life and confidently believe that our God fights for us.
Trusting God has always been a problem for humanity from Eve to me. In the Bible, God gave us examples of times that people did not trust God when they should have so that we could learn by their mistakes. One of those examples that is mentioned again and again in the scriptures is the children of Israel and their journey to the Promised Land.
Long ago, Moses led a multitude of slaves out of Egypt as a result of many miraculous signs. As these descendants of Abraham traveled, they were accompanied by God in a pillar of flame and cloud, and He protected them as they fled from their powerful enemy. The waters of the Red Sea parted to allow them passage through on dry ground and then covered the army of Pharaoh when he pursued them across the seabed. The mighty army that wanted to destroy them was drowned. As they continued their journey, the children of Israel had sign after sign that God was with them and that He would protect them and not leave them to be defeated. Bitter water was made drinkable and when there was no water to be found, they were given water from a rock to quench their thirst. When they had no food available, God sent manna from heaven to eat. When they were attacked by Amalek, God gave them victory. They had an abundance of evidence that God had the power and desire for them to be His people and settled in their own land. Their faith should have been strong, but what happened when they reached the borders of the Promised Land? “They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them. Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise. They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the LORD” (Psalm 106:21-25).
God’s chosen people traveled right up to the edge of the Promised Land, and they heard that there were giants and mighty men there, and they remembered that they were simply former slaves, not soldiers. They knew that they were powerless in the face of that kind of opposition, and they gave up. It says that they forgot their Savior and had no faith in His promise. Unfortunately, those former slaves are not the only people who forget that they have a powerful Protector fighting for them. They are not the only ones who give up on the edge of the Promised Land. We imitate their actions today. We see that we are weak and powerless, and that life is a giant ready to stomp us, and we forget that we have a Savior who claims us as His own. We lose our faith in God’s promises and give up.
The children of Israel lost faith in God because they were afraid of giants. What are your giants? Are they bills and money worries? Is it your health? Is it your family? Is it the harsh words and actions of someone you work with every day? Is it the violence and disbelief in the world we live in? Do you have a giant of addiction to smoking or alcohol or some other drug? Is your giant depression and loneliness? We face a lot of giants in our lives, just as the children of Israel faced impossible odds in the Promised Land. What does God advise us to do with our mighty giants? He tells us to trust Him to take care of them for us. However, instead of having faith and waiting on the Lord, we usually keep focusing on our problems. Stop looking at your giants! Instead, God instructs us to look at Him and remember His power and love for us.
We have already read of how Peter told us to rejoice even if we are being grieved by various trials. Peter says that you can be happy even when your giants seem to be winning. Why? Because we have a Savior, just as the children of Israel did. He is with us day and night, just like the pillar of cloud and fire traveled continually with the defenseless followers of Moses. Jesus claims us as His own people, just as the ex-slaves were God’s chosen back then. God’s love is so great for us that he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for us. We are being guarded by God’s power through faith so that we will receive that salvation upon Jesus’ return to this world. We are at the edge of the Promised Land. Are you spending your time looking at the giants around you in misery, or are you gazing in faith at Jesus, full of hope for the future?
When I was young, I used to listen to a song that expresses my feelings about the attitude we need to have as we face our giants here on earth. It’s called Why Tarry Here? Let me sing it for you.
Note: I know my voice is not the best, but this is a song that many people have never heard, and it is difficult to find a good version of it online. I want you to know what it sounds like. I originally learned this song from listening to the Heritage Singers, but when I tried to find it on YouTube, it wasn’t there.
CHORUS:
Why tarry here? Let’s cross over. It’s better on the other side. Why tarry here when we can cross over with Jesus to abide.
VERSES:
Moses sent his mighty men to spy out the land. They came back saying we can’t, but two of them said we can.
The people murmured, and they complained. We’ve been here an awful long time. Our feet are weary of traveling and we need some peace of mind.
We’ve been here 6,000 years awaitin’ on the promised land Don’t give up the battle yet. Victory’s at hand.
Don’t let life’s giants discourage you. Don’t give up the battle yet. Victory is not that far away. All you have to do is keep believing and trusting in Jesus. He is with you every day, every hour, every minute. He loves you. Have faith in His love for you and in His protection. Another of Jesus’ disciples, John, gave us the promise of God’s victory: “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5).