How Adversity Reveals Our Level of Faith

When hardships come our way, do we respond, “God, I trust You to bring me through this”? Or do we tend to say, “I’m doomed, and there’s nothing anybody can do?”

God once sent a storm on the Sea of Galilee to teach Jesus’ disciples a lesson on faith. Jesus had said to His men, “Let us cross over to the other side” (Mark 4:35), and they should have taken His statement as a sure sign that He expected a safe trip. But when a terrible windstorm threatened the boat, they panicked. The terrified disciples asked Jesus, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

How many times have we said the same thing? “Don’t You care, Lord, that this is happening to me? Don’t You love me enough, Lord, to do something about this hardship?”

Jesus rebuked the wind, and immediately a great calm settled on the lake. Then He turned to His disciples and said, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40).

God has given each one of us a measure of faith (see Rom. 12:3), and he expects us to use it to overcome our fear. Fear always accompanies adversity; in fact, a degree of fear is what makes something an adversity instead of just another experience. Fear causes us to project the very worst that can happen – that we will never recover, that all hope is lost, that we will never again enjoy some treasured thing.

Faith tells the opposite story. Faith says that God is in control and that all things work together for our good (see Rom. 8:28). Faith says that we will recover and that our final stat will be better than anything we have experienced thus far.

Allow adversity to call your faith to action rather than into question. Adversity reveals areas in which you need to act in faith and not fear. When hard times come, say to yourself, “Now is the time to use my faith in a new way.” The more you use your faith, the greater it grows.

Taken from The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Daily Bible