Encouragement

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This article is dedicated to the people of God who exercise their faith and it may appear it’s not working for them. Your faith encapsulates every area of your life and it is not always visible to your natural eyes; but nevertheless, it has tremendous effect working through you. I wrote two articles on faith already but something sparked off seeing faith in action, through many believers who suffer.

I though about giving my good friend a ring (call on the telephone, a bell), it was about 7.40pm and was not the appropriate time as I later found out she was having her evening meal and felt sorry I had disturbed her. Before I hang up the phone our conversation went like this-
“Hi Sis P how are you?” I knew she recently had another major operation.
“Sorry” I’ve just started my dinner, but if you are asking about the operation I’m alright.
How are you and the family?”
we’re okay!”
“Do you mind if I don’t return your call tonight?”
“Of course not” I replied.

We said our goodbyes and then I went to bed at about 11pm. I had intended to sleep through until about 5.30am the earliest but God had His own plans for me. I was awake at about 3am tossing and turning a bit, then a song resonate inaudibly, it was ringing in my ears; since Friday is dedicated to praise, I tried my hardest not to pray. I was desperately forcing myself to sleep but sleep eludes me. My thoughts reflected on many things including including sending the articles on faith to her.

These articles gave my experiences and also about God speaking in my heart to “Have faith in God and speak to the mountains…” I had an urge to send them to her but seeing the various situations she had been through, I felt reluctant to share them. So as I thought about her, I decided to explore faith in a different light.

Here is a simplistic analogy of faith to make a point:
Faith goes through a cycle like a washing machine or a dishwasher, each different cycle it goes through culminates the pivotal point to get clothes or dishes clean. It is geared for a purpose and a special destination. Or put it this way, faith is a seed that goes through cycles and reproduces. Faith does not always have the desired effect visible to what we expect. These were the thoughts that came to mind as I thought against sending the articles to one of my best friend.

We had a special bond. She became my confidant, role model and helper and also an inspiration; because of her knowledge of the Word of God. She refreshed me with her wisdom down through the years. As a minister of the gospel she served her people well. She became our lawyer, leader, close associate and a mother to those under her care. She served God and sacrificed her life for the people, then suddenly her life’s work came to an abrupt end, because of ‘in-fighting’s, mis-understandings’ and making wrong decisions, and because of physical limitation at the beginning of her illness; which led to her resignation, and her move out of London.

I am not painting her a saint nor crowned her with a halo, but describing a real person with faults just like us, but who had dedicated her life to care for her people. Prior to the situations described, she had a major surgery which went wrong, that led to other illnesses and series of operations to correct the ‘bosh-up’ job the surgeons did previously.

At the outset she decided to leave the church, it had a negative impact on her, trusting people became difficult, she left London and moved to the countryside away from the people she loved and served, in order to ease her pain; but her pains persisted for quite some time. Initially her hope, trust and faith in God were shaken; until the love of Jesus, His grace and mercy overwhelmed her and brought her through that dark period; and she began to trust again.

Nevertheless, her physical sufferings’ continued not because she hasn’t faith. She was a minister, she taught on faith, she had experienced faith; she saw demonstration of faith and miraculous intervention in healing and finance, both in her life, and in the lives of great men of faith, such as in the Jeffery’s brothers and Smith Wiggleswoth’s era etc. during her youthful days. She practiced the Word of God and believed in God to heal, so why wasn’t she being spared those operations? Why, despite seeking God for physical healing and deliverance, faith seemed to elude her, or did it?

I reasoned, “How can I send my ‘up-beat’ articles on faith to her?” Sending them would bring more pain I thought, although my intention was not to stimulate her faith but to encourage her for her life’s work that was not wasted, but had produce some fruit in my life for all her labours; and also that she might give me feedback on the articles. I know that she would be truthful and encouraging in whatever she says. The decision on sending those articles brought new perspectives on faith.

My mind reflected on God’s people who died in faith; not only in the ‘Record Book’ including Hebrews 11, but all those who went out as missionaries, to share the Lord Jesus Christ and were brutally murdered, fruit sprung later from their death, their offspring made it possible because went back to complete the work their forefathers had started; and they're now reaping a harvest on behalf of those missionaries. Also the suffering church, and many Christians in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Beijing to name but a few, are stark reminders today, because they chose not to deny their Lord had lost their heads under the sharp blade of the enemies of the gospel.
This is to prove that having faith does not always bring deliverance but suffering and death.

The suffering of believers then and now are not wasted whatever the afflictions, these life experiences are seeds firmly planted in the ground to produce potential forests. Paul says the purpose of our faith being tested is to leave an example for others; just as a flower left its scent, we too leave our perfume. Although God does not bless us with afflictions, but because He knows the end from the beginning He allows them for a reason; just as the seed goes through stages we have our seasons.

It is not about whether our faith is strong or weak – if faith depends on our own strength or weaknesses what would we say about these men such as Daniel, Jeremiah, Job, Jesus, Paul and the disciples? We have them to illustrate the point, that sometimes our faith does not exclude suffering unjustly.

The Scripture clearly give examples that faith in God includes suffering: “All of these people we have mentioned received God’s approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can’t receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race”(Heb 11:39-40 NLT).
So there we are the dark period that the seed goes through is to produce their potential harvest during its most difficult episode. This time of obscurity is designed to incubate in uncomfortable struggles, devoid of sunshine before it breaks the outer shell, allowing for the shoots to find a way through the soil. The young sprout will then be nourished by the sunshine for potential growth, and then produces a harvest as it was designed to bring.

God has given everyone a measure of faith to produce our individual harvest, and like the seed there are struggles, some to a greater degree than others, yet He requires us to be faithful and be productive with the seed He gives us.

As carriers, we have our individual target areas. Some may be called for signs, wonders and miracles to varying levels others maybe called to go through the path of suffering and great struggles. These are only two extremes, but both believer types are walking in fellowship with God and working towards the same goal He sets them; according to the measure of faith they have in order to develop and mature.

I will never leave you

It is at this point we often get sidetrack when we see others being successful, receiving accolades and in the peak of limelight and apparently, they themselves put in very little effort to reach such height in ministry. On the other hand, comparing our struggles with their glory, we have nothing seemingly to show for all our labours. Don’t be disheartened or get anxious about another man’s lot. God is still in control. He is steering us through dark areas and it takes faith and determination to stay in step with Him. Remember He said, ‘I will never leave you comfortless, we have the Comforter.’

Faith is not only about miracles, sufferings and rewards: it is about our daily living, our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and the impact we have on others’ for good and also it’s about the choices we make in our everyday lives.
Yes, it may appear that all our labours are in vain, we work, we give and we encourage, and everything seems to throw back in our faces, and our expectancy is dashed, but these are only temporary rewards lost in our eyes, not with God, we do have our eternal rewards awaiting us. Nothing is wasted, because whatever we do in Christ’s name and in partnership with others, will be rewarded.

Faith is dying to self and walking in love and obedience to the Lord’s voice; and trusting Him for the outcome no matter the immediate results. He knows the end from the beginning and He’s already design the plans for His children. His plans for us, and our hope and future are set in stone.

But let us not forget that we have a host of people as examples who did not receive the promise and yet they never lost hope. Faith goes beyond what our natural eyes see so let’s be encouraged and run the race to the end and win.

As race is mentioned above, it brings me to the present excitement of almost everyone ablaze with the Beijing Olympic fever. The participating athletes are from various parts of the world and they are all trained to compete and each of them has one thing in common, and that’s to win.

Paul talked about race in a few of his epistles but in conclusion I will summarise three texts:
‘Everything he did was for the furtherance of the gospel… he stayed focussed on the purpose regardless of the sufferings he went through… to win and received the prize…he highlighted that all competitors need to discipline themselves… for an earthly prize, but we discipline ourselves for an eternal one’ (1Cor 9:23-27).

He did not claimed to be perfect and neither should we, but our aim should be to progress onto perfection to gain the prize…(Phil 3:12-14).
In the final analysis, as we continue to walk in faith regardless of our circumstances, be resolute, and don’t give up. We too can say like Paul “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race and I have remained faithful” (2Tim 4:7).

The contemplation began with a question why many who believe, have faith and trusted God for deliverance still suffer, I suppose this is a question asked by both Christians and Non-Christians who go through pain – ‘why do good people suffer? Only ‘the Lord knows, He knows the way through each wilderness experiences, all we need to do is let Him hold our hand and follow in His steps and for certain, a crown will awaits us at the end of the race. Like the old saints sang – “Press along saints, press along…the hotter the battle the sweeter the victory.”

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