WHEN FAITH FAILS
INTRODUCTION:
We often find ourselves wrestling with faith and doubt, some suffer in silence while others abandon belief altogether, assuming doubt is incompatible with faith. Many get to a cross road in their walk with God and are consumed by so many unanswered questions, which leads them worry. The disciples were not worried on the storm-tossed waves of Galilee; they were scared to death. And our Lord rebuked them by unveiling the failure of their faith (Mark 4:40). So faith does fails, So what happens when it does? Do I lose my salvation? Does God’s work in my life come to a screeching halt, waiting for my faith to return? The incident in Abram’s life described in Genesis 12:10-13:4 gives us an encouraging word, and one that is desperately needed by those whose faith will fail, and especially in times like this when the whole world is lock down with Coronavirus pandemic
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TRUE FAITH MUST BE TESTED
. True faith in God is a faith that grows, and in God’s program for men today, faith grows as it is tested. For Abram, the first test was that of a famine. (Gen 12:10). You cannot assumed that your faith is strong and cannot fail until your faith is tested. Your faith grow when you pass each test of faith. Abram had earlier showed an unimaginable faith, when in obedience to God left his fathers land to an unknown land (Hebrew 11:8), based on the promise of God. I suspect that Abram, as an immature saint, had no idea that suffering and trials were a part of God’s curriculum in the school of faith. While Abram believed in God, he knew little of Him. He may have thought that the God who called him was not able to control nature, hence, his decision without consulting God to go down to Egypt. His request of Sarai also reflects his spiritual condition. It would thus be safe to say that Abram’s faith failed in the face of that famine. (Gen 12:10-13)
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DIVINE INTERVENTION WHEN FAITH FAILS.
How foolish Abram’s fears must have appeared in the light of history. In order to avoid a famine, Abram was forced to face Pharaoh. Indeed, Abram left Egypt even richer than he had come. But none of this was the result of Abram’s faithless and dishonest actions. It was the product of divine grace and providential care. When confronted with the test of faith, it is only divine intervention that can survice even when our faith fails. Like when the Disciples faith failed in the face of the storm, or when Peter’s faith failed while walking on of the water.(Matthew 8:23-27, 14:22-33)
Conclusion:
We now know that the faith of Abram, (Romans 3:27, 4:16) the father of faith failed. We also have seen that this failure did not frustrate God’s plan for his life. This should help us to understand that when confronted with the challenges of life, that may lead to the test of our faith, even if our faith fails, this will not frustrate Gods plans for our life, all we need to do is hold on to Him, He will surely restore our faith. Abram later passed another test of faith after the birth of the promised child, Isaac. Gen 22:16-18.