How has your faith changed your life? Or has it?
In my daily Bible reading, I came across this nugget: “Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children and all our goods.
“For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, ‘The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.’ So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.” (The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Ezra 8:21–23).
Here we see a group of people that had told the king that God would protect them. Then fear set in as they were preparing for a journey, and they wanted to ask the king for protection. In that moment, they realized their hypocrisy and turned to God for the protection they were seeking. And in that moment, God provided.
As I read this, it made me do some internal processing. Are there areas where my faith and my actions have fallen out of alignment? Am I claiming one thing but living differently? Has my faith really changed my life, or am I just doing what I want to be doing?
We live in an area where you are the most important person in your life. Everything is about you. Work harder. Get that promotion. Fight for that job. Buy the bigger house. Get the nicer car. Take the extra trip. It’s all about you.
The Bible teaches the exact opposite. Many faith traditions teach about how to care for others and put them first. So there is a constant battle we face.
One area where I really struggle with this is in how much I truly trust God. I say often that I know God will always provide for me. The Bible speaks clearly about how God provides for the sparrow and the lilies, so of course He will provide for you and for me (Matthew 6).
I know that God knows my every need. I have seen Him provide for me often, even at times in miraculous ways. Yet I still find myself getting worried when the bills are higher than expected or I’m coming to the end of the month and things are extra tight. I say I trust God—why am I stressed out?
The reality is that our circumstances or environment can easily pull us away from the things we deeply believe and know to be true. I was so encouraged by this passage. God’s people recognized the disparity. They went back to what they knew to be true. And they acted upon that truth.
Where in your life is there disparity? How have circumstances or environment been competing with your faith? Recognize it. Share your struggle with someone today. Ask them to pray for you and with you. And then go back to what you know to be true, and act upon that truth.
I sincerely hope that your faith has changed your life. Let it continue to do so. Nobody is perfect, so we will all have these disparities from time to time.
My hope and prayer for you, as well as for myself, is that you will take the same steps these people did. Recognize it, go back to the truth, and act upon the truth. The more you do this, the more you will see your faith changing your life for the better.
Pastor Ben Palm is the outreach pastor at Morgan Hill Bible Church and a member of the Interfaith Clergy Alliance. He is also a chaplain for the Morgan Hill Police Department. Ben can be reached at be*@*****le.org.
