Faith testing times
by David Silvester
It’s more than likely that we’ll experience times when we feel our faith is being tested, and we become concerned about making a decision which could have far-reaching consequences.
This was Peter’s experience, and it came immediately after he and the other disciples had been arguing about who would be considered the greatest after Jesus had gone.
Jesus had picked up this point and shown them what humility is about. It’s about serving others. Then He tried to encourage them by stating that they were the ones who had stood by Him throughout His trials, and what they could eventually look forward to in His Kingdom.
This was where Jesus told Peter, and the others, since the ‘you’ is plural, how the devil wanted to test them, hoping to bring them to spiritual ruin. But He told them that He was praying for them to be strengthened.
When we are going through our own ‘testing times’ it’s comforting to know that there is One who ‘speaks to the Father in our defence’, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (I John 2:1, NIV). He’s our ‘advocate’, our intercessor and defender.
In our difficult times of making important decisions we’re not alone. We’re encouraged to ‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him , and He will make your paths straight’ (Proverbs 3:5-6). The Psalmist also encourages us to ‘Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him and He will do this; He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn’ (Psalm 37:5-6).
We are all aware of the fact that Peter denied and failed his Lord, and that the Lord restored him afterwards. And although we too may be aware of our own shortcomings, we have a faithful God who will always hold us, and keep us from falling, when we trust Him in the way He encourages us to.
Prayer: Thank You, dear Lord, that when I find myself in difficult and testing situations I can always turn to You and ask for guidance. Than You for each and every time You have brought me through such difficulties and even brought me into a blessing. I praise You for Your faithfulness. Amen.
David Silvester is married and has a son, two daughters and eight grandchildren. He trained as a production engineer. He then moved on to become a lecturer of engineering craft skills before being called of God in his early fifties to become a pastor of a Baptist church. He says that,"having previously experienced an amazing healing on a day others expected me to die, it came as no surprise that God directed me and my wife, Margaret, to become involved with Ellel Ministries."
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