Faith in Testing

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Our Faith can be challenged and tested by the circumstances of life

Our Confidence and Assurance can be eroded

Paul’s experience we spoke about last week is an example of that

He said…1 Corinthians 1:8

The New International Version Chapter 1

8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.

The Greek word used in the original text for “despaired” means:

“to fall apart” “to be utterly at a loss”

Paul’s confidence and assurance were certainly gone

One commentator says....

I & II Corinthians B. Paul’s Ministry of Hardship (1:3–11)

We cannot be sure what hardships Paul had in mind, but we know he endured: riots, vicious attacks, imprisonment, and physical illness. The problems had been so great that Paul had despaired even of life, losing hope that he would survive. In his discouragement, he had felt the sentence of death in his heart, almost succumbing to defeat.

Paul took a chance being so honest about his weaknesses and afflictions

One commentator said this......

2 Corinthians (1) Paul’s Afflictions in Asia (1:8–11)

We find many signs in Paul’s correspondence with the Corinthians that some in the church deplored all his suffering and belittled his ministerial power because of them. They regarded all this affliction to be unseemly and an embarrassment to their interpretation of the gospel’s power, which was supposed to lift one above all deadly perils to a higher spiritual plane. Some questioned how God’s power could result in such abundant frailty

We fear showing our weaknesses

We think the Christian walk should be all “overcoming” and “power”

Paul says there is something important in what he experienced when he says:

2 Corinthians 1:9 NLT

In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.

Nobody likes being in the position of having to rely on God

Nobody likes being in a weakness

But it has great truths if we walk through it with God

Elijah Running from Jezebel

1 Kings 19:3–9 NLT

Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

This is another example of a servant of God facing his limitations of faith and trust

Before God gets into the deeper spiritual subject of what Elijah is doing

God provides food for him - meeting his natural needs

Elijah then tells God all about the problems as he sees it

1 Kings 19:10 NLT

Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

God then does something important…he reminds Elijah of God’s power

1 Kings 19:11–13 NLT

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

God Came in a small voice- a whisper

Maybe we want God to show up in thunderous power

But what Elijah needed, was to hear God’s voice

God told Elijah to go back to the place he was running from

God work was going to get down in spite of Elijah’s faith detour