Don’t Lose Faith

The most common, frequently given piece of unsolicited advice I have received by fellow Christians when they have seen me ill is, “Don’t lose faith”.

The second most common piece of advice being, “Don’t worry. God still loves you”.

I’m dealing with an ailment and all my Church and Christian family can say to me is not to lose my faith and to remind me that God still loves me. How odd. Why would I lose faith or think God doesn’t love me because I suffer some malady? It doesn’t make sense!

Here are a few thoughts on the matter that have crossed my mind over the years.

1. What is the correlation between suffering and faith? Does faith decrease when things get tough and increase when they get good? Because that’s not faith you possess, at best it is gratitude and ingratitude, but it isn’t faith.

2. When something bad happens, do we automatically ask, “Why me Lord?” or even worse, wonder what we have done wrong to deserve it? Do we think of bad circumstances in terms of punishment? If so, you may want to read about the man who, “was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil” but lost his family, health and wealth. His name was Job.

Jesus Christ also explained that bad things can happen to good people (Luke 13:1-4).

3. Why does doubt flare up when adversity shows up? How can faith be weakened by adversity? What good is faith if it diminishes when needed most?

4. Faith and adversity can co-exist, in fact, they must.

5. If faith is to be affected by circumstance, then it should be intensified during times of stress, duress, pain, suffering and sorrow, not weakened.

6. Having faith during good times is like having hope in or believing in something that already is.

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?” (Romans 8:24).

7. We must have absolute faith at all times under all circumstances and all conditions. It is the only way pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:6). And if our faith in God is not absolute then we should not expect anything from God (James 1:6-8).

8. In Habakkuk 2:4 we learn that the “just will live by faith”. The just, the justified, the righteous. If the just live by faith, then why are my fellow Christians concerned over mine? Shouldn’t my faith be celebrated and not questioned? If my brethren believe I am a child of God, why are they casting doubts by trying to throw supports under something that doesn’t need supported?

9. I have noticed that circumstance isn’t the cause for lack or loss of faith. It is time, or more specifically the combination of time and circumstance. The Bible warns us of this. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)

I’ll stop now leaving all with the above to think about. Feel free to comment.

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments” (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

Bill Hitchcock