Be Aware & Keep Working
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” Romans 1:16-17
There are times when you feel like you are in an ongoing struggle with your faith. It is not that you do not believe there is a God or question His existence. But every so often, you feel distant as if you cannot feel His presence. I remember listening to someone speak about Mother Theresa stating that she had moments where she was questioned God’s presence amidst all the excellent work she had done. Despite this, she pushed through saying, “I spoke as if my very heart was in love with God–tender, personal love.” Reading this, one might wonder did she question did she really love God. The answer is yes, and this is very much part of human nature. How can we really believe in that which we cannot see? I came across the notes from a speech given about our relationship with God. He gave a description of what a journey of faith is. He said:
Your journey of faith is about an ongoing challenge of connecting with a God who loves you, but you cannot see. It forever deepens when successful and often distant when struggling. The goal is to be aware and keep working toward that connection like any relationship.
Faith is the drive for God when you are unsure if He is there. I wrote this as I go through some struggles that I am not sure if I fully understand them. Perhaps it is just because I am older, and my body does not work as well as it used to. I do not run as fast, and things hurt longer than they used to. It makes you question a lot of things. Much like that, I will be distracted by lots of worries and concerns. We know that Jesus said, “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matthew 6:26-27) The reality is we are human to worry for several reasons. Much like I trust my doctor to focus on my health, I must trust God to take care of those things that I have no control over. This is precisely why faith matters. I can fight, strengthen, plan, and prepare for all the practical options and outcomes. But there is that Elsa moment (i.e., Let it go) where I trust God to manage the rest. Our faith is not about projecting what we want God to do. It is about trusting Him to guide our path. It is not about knowing whether He is or is not there. It is about knowing how He has always been there for us before and will be there now and in the future.
Faithfulness to God is an ongoing journey. When we think we understand God, He reveals something new. When we trust He is there, He will seem nonexistent. The goal is not for us to know everything about God for if we did, we ourselves would be God, and we are not. The goal is continually work at it looking at what He did to bring us to where we are today and applying the teachings of Jesus Christ to guide us further in the future. That is what a productive journey of faith looks like. Let us continue to embrace our journey both when we are closest to God as well as when He seems worlds away. How can you better understand where you are in your journey of faith? What practices can you implement when you feel distant from God? My prayer is that we will always be aware of our relationship with Christ and keep working at it. Amen.