Faith in the middle of the storm

The 30th President of the United States was Calvin Coolidge. Coolidge was known as a man of few words and when he spoke he was often blunt and to the point. On one occasion a female journalist told the President, "Mr. President, I made a $100 bet with another journalist that I could get you to say more than 3 words. Would you care to comment?" Coolidge smiled at the young lady and coolly said, "You lose". That's how he got the nickname he carried with him to his death ... “Silent Cal”.

I tell you that because there are times in our lives when we think of God as “Silent God”. Amidst painful trials I know I’ve often cried out “Why, God? Why me? Where are you?” and to my dismay heaven often seems to be silent.

If there was ever a poster child for suffering and heartache it would have to be Job in the Old Testament. Job was a healthy wealthy family man with 10 children and a load of livestock. He was also a righteous man; the most righteous on earth. Satan goes to God and accuses Him of buying Job’s worship. Satan says if Job was not blessed so much he’d turn on God. God allows Satan to do anything to Job except take his life. In a short period of time Jobs children all die in a storm, all of his livestock is stolen, his wife tells him to “curse God and die”, and his 3 best friends ask him what great sin is in his life that he hasn’t repented of yet. Through it all Job’s faith BENT but it never BROKE.

I think there are 4 insights that we can learn from the life of Job when our life is in turmoil.

#1 – There’s more going on around us than we can see. Job had no idea of the conversation that took place in heaven but as readers of the scriptures we get the benefit of seeing both scenes unfold. It’s kind of like when we are watching a movie, we are only seeing a small slice of what all is happening. The directors make sure we don’t see things like the lights, assistants holding microphones, the studio. What we are seeing is mere snippets of our life. We see some of the present and remember some of the past but God sees the future and what He’s doing in our life.

#2 – God’s desire is for us to have a personal relationship with Him. I love the fact that in the conversation with Satan it’s God who brings up the name of Job. God loves Job and is proud of His creation. I get the sense it’s almost like a grandparent asking if they’ve showed you a picture recently of their grandchild. God knew not only Job’s name but knew his heart as well. When God looks at you or me he doesn’t see us as a social security number or taxpayer id # … He sees us personally and loves us all the same.

#3 – We need to remember that Satan actively assaults God’s servants. When God asks Satan where he’s been he says he’s been “walking to and fro on the earth.” Peter equated him as a lion seeking those he may devour. Satan actively, aggressively, and continually works to get people to doubt there is a God and that He loves them.

#4 – Genuine faith will sustain you through times of trouble. The bible affirms the fact that our faith is often tested. During these times of trials in our lives the type of faith we have is revealed. I think there are 3 types of faith and I’d be less than honest if I didn’t admit that at times each type has been found in my life. First there’s what I call “fair weather faith”. This faith functions best when the sun is shining and everything in life is going the way you think it should. Those with fair weather faith typically turn on and question God at the first sign of trouble. The second type of faith is what I call “foul weather faith.” It’s the opposite of fair weather faith. Rather than praise God only when the sun is signing, they only turn to God when things go south. Here we tend to try and bargain with God, “God if you will do ______, then I will serve You.” Then when things start to go better we forget about the Lord until the next time things go bad. After 9/11 we saw a lot of “foul weather faithers”. They were in church for a few weeks and when things settled down they were gone again. Finally there is “all weather faith.” This faith says “I will praise the Lord no matter what comes my way.” That’s not where Job started but it is where he ended up. In Job 13:15 we read, “Though He (God) slay me, yet will I trust Him.”

So is the sun shining in your life? Are the storm clouds gathering? What kind of faith do you think you have right now? I wish I could tell you mine was always “all weather faith” but alas my faith is a work in progress.