Do you ever feel bombarded on every side and so many voices competing for your attention? Your faith tested?

You’re not alone. 

Our souls are sensitive to forces outside of our control. The news sparks fear, the pandemic questions our health, and the political unrest tests our resolve to trust those in authority. We’re raising our children in this. 

If we can’t find grace in our world right now, can we still find it in the Lord? We need more than a shaky foundation to restore our inner voice. The soul pierced by the world tests our faith 

Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, … Deuteronomy 33:12 NIV

We need to restore our soul, find the inner voice of the Lord, and rest secure in His grace. But everything else is competing with our time. 

Is this a crisis of faith?

A crisis of faith is not a bad thing. 

A tested faith rises from the ashes like a phoenix, ready for anything. Corrie ten Boom, a Christian holocaust survivor, said it best, “Look around and be distressed. Look within and be depressed. Look at Jesus…and be at rest.”

We live in troubled times, so our faith needs to be deep.  

A great shadow of deception, disillusion, and darkness has overshadowed our regular lives. Things we trusted seem to be on shaky ground. 

• Will my confidence in the Lord be enough? 
• Is His grace sufficient? 
• Does Sacred Scripture have anything to say about for such a time as this?

Darkness, disillusion, and deception fill the earth, so we need our confidence in the Lord. For the faithful, the greatest joy and treasure we have is the word of God to show us things from God’s point of view. 

Tested faith leans heavily on God

The Lord is faithful, and our greatest treasure and joy is God’s word. We can see the world around us from His point of view. We belong to the Lord and can rest secure in Him even in the middle of a storm. He proves Himself faithful in the pandemic as He shields us all day long. 

When darkness threatens to overthrow us, we find God enduring love available so we can rest between His shoulders. We are the ones the Lord loves.

Untested faith is not safe or harmless. 

Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long… Deuteronomy 33:12 NIV

Tested Faith Finds the Heart of God. 

It is true, our convictions have been challenged, our faith tested, and we need moral courage to survive. What we were when these troubled times knocked on our door should not be who we are today. It’s getting personal.

We need to slow down, pick up our Bible, and go behind closed doors. We need to take our time alone with the Lord seriously. This time we come desperate for His voice, desperate for answers, and desperate to know He’s in control. 

No more do we enter that place out of habit and looking for a feeling of well-being. No more is it a thing to do because that’s just what Christians do. No more following the crowd. “God, I need you, and I’m seeking my refuge in You. Are you here? 

Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders. Deuteronomy 33:12 NIV

Tested Faith Finds the Perfect Place

The Storm blows, the wind blasts and waves rise, but the beloved of the Lord will find their rest in Him. All that feels set to destroy is powerless in His presence. At the sound of His voice, “Peace be still!” they are quieted. 

Behind closed doors, you will find your sanctuary in Him, and when you pray, He will hear you. Open His Word and be captivated in the way He chooses words to encourage, inspire, and soothe your soul. His revealed truth with still your troubled mind and ease your heart. In His presence, there are moments of wonder, expectation, and grace. 

In the Secret Place, the Lord breathes on you in moments of revelation, and you see His love. Your confidence is in Him, and you experience His faithfulness. 

It is a crisis of faith, but the Lord is our confidence as He pours ever-increasing waves of faithfulness as we merely sit in His presence. His hand touches wounded places, heals fear, and intimately assures us of His lovingkindness.  

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord Himself is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:3-4 NIV

Here in the Secret Place, we learn an enduring truth – we can never avoid trouble, but we can know Him intimately with God. God’s grace is sufficient. The surrounding chaos will never overcome those who trust in the Lord. He is our Peace. 

Tested faith becomes an enduring faith

Thank the Lord for our tested faith. It leads us to a new reading pattern, reflecting and wondering at His revealed will in Holy Scripture. 

We drink from the deep well of living water. God breathes His word in our soul, and we are refreshed. The tested faith has become an enduring kind of faith. 

Because of our tested faith we needed to know more and found treasure beyond measure. You see, His great love is freely given. He captures our tears, and with His loving hands, He draws us close in His eternal comfort. 

He calls us by name.

But now, this is what the LORD says,…” Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD you God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…  Isaiah 43:1-3 NIV

Tested faith Finds the world stops

Honestly, we’re unable to make sense of what’s happening in the world outside. But, in the secret place, the world stops turning, and there’s nothing more important than your time with the Lord. He loves those you love with a greater love than you can ever give them, and He hears you pray for them. 

But, behind closed doors, there’s no one else by you and your Lord. He whispers in your ear words of love, words of truth, correction, and direction. You are never alone when you enter the Secret Place and when you leave, He goes with you. 

He rewards your enduring faith. His creative word sustains us. 

The secret in the Secret Place is Immanuel – God-with-us. His fellowship is not past tense but real here and now. Day by day, the Lord waits to fellowship with you.  

The fear of the Lord leads to life. Then one rests content, untouched by trouble. Proverbs 19:23 NIV

Tested faith waits on the Lord

The Lord is calling us to the Secret Place. If the Lord needs to test our faith to make His invitation more palatable, then so be it.  The testing of our faith is not for the weak of heart. If the Lord has to test our faith to draw us closer, it is all worth it. 

Trust me; the Lord is waiting for you. 

So do not stress over your tested faith, it’s a gift. I encourage you to set aside a time and place every day to fellowship with the Lord. Enter into the rhythm of the Holy. It’s a true spiritual adventure: a journey to the heart of God. 

In conclusion, I assure you a tested faith does not mean something is wrong with you. Don’t listen to that lie. A tested faith draws you into a new and exciting relationship with Immanuel.  

Watch carefully, and soon your faith will be so secure strong you will cry out loud to the Lord the words of the Psalmist: 

I love You, LORD, my Strength. The LORD is my Rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. Psalm 18:1-2 NIV