Validation There is a Bigger Picture: We have seen that testing is a personal and individual issue, a trial designed to strengthen and validate our faith. But the process of faith-testing is more than this. Testing (and our successful negotiation of it) is also a ministry of witnessing, a sign and an encouragement to those who observe it of the value and the power of faith as that faith is honored and supported by God. In times of trial, it may often seem to us that no one else sees or understands our pain or difficulties, but we must remember that only God knows whose hearts have been touched by our noble conduct under pressure. So we ought to keep this special ministry in mind whenever things may seem to us to be falling apart, never losing sight of the fact that our primary hope is in the resurrection through faith in Christ and the glorious future that awaits, a future so marvelous that it is not worthy to be compared to our present upheavals (Rm.8:18). The Angels are Watching Us: For unknown eons of time, the universe existed without mankind. Satans treachery and the cataclysmic judgment upon the earth which followed brought an end to angelic creations unique position as Gods only morally responsible creatures, as man was created to demonstrate to all the angels His power and His mercy. Our creation was, therefore, a response to angelic disobedience to God, and a brief overview of the implications of our relationship to these heavenly creatures will help us to view our earthly struggle from a broader viewpoint. For from our limited earthly perspective, we humans tend to develop spiritual myopia in the face of the challenges, confusion and testing of life. In fact, our existence and spiritual progress is of great concern to angelic kind. Angels have existed in apparently unchanged form since before the Lord imparted Adams first breath, and it is beyond all doubt that while in this body of flesh, we would do well to give angelic creation a wide, respectful berth (2Pet.2:10-11). Nevertheless, while mankind is starting out a little lower than the angels (Ps.8:5), in resurrection we shall judge angels (1Cor.6:3). We can garner from our Lords question to Satan, Have you considered my servant, Job?, that our existence is meant as a continuing example and response to the angelic rebellion led by the devil. God is utilizing mankind, at least in part, to make a point to His other creatures, a point that involves faith out of weakness (on our part) and mercy in spite of sin (on Gods part through Jesus Christ). Therefore, we should not forget that we are being watched – and not only by God: there is more joy among the angels of God when a sinner repents than for the continued fidelity of many righteous believers (Lk.15:10); women are encouraged to behave in a dignified way because of the angels [who are watching] (1Cor.11:10; the principle applies to men as well); angels are very desirous of knowing about the working out of Gods plan in human history (1Pet.1:12); and Paul complained to the Corinthians that he had been made a spectacle to men and angels (1Cor.4:9). Nor are the angels disinterested observers. Just as the devil and his minions are always trying to destroy our faith and drag us down into an unbelief and disobedience to God akin to their own (1Pet.5:8), so the elect angels are our compatriots: it is largely to help us that God makes His angels like the wind and his servants like flames of fire (Heb.1:7 with 1:14; cf. Dan.10:12-13); Christ tells us of small children that their angels in heaven constantly behold the face of God (Matt.18:10); and an angel stands guard over each of the seven churches of Revelation (Rev.1:20). With such a cloud of witnesses to our daily behavior here on earth, how shall we then flag in our faith (Heb.12:1)? When we remember that the galleries of heaven are filled to capacity by the angels, cheering us on, elated by our successes and disappointed by our setbacks, it should serve as an encouragement to take heart. The heart of Elishas servant melted at the sight of the armies of Aram, but when God opened his eyes at Elishas request, he saw clearly that the mountain was filled with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2Ki. 6:17). In the same way, we need to open the eyes of our hearts to the reality that we are not alone. God is with us, and His messengers are watching us. No test, no trial, no struggle lacks its heavenly spectators. Let us therefore run with endurance the race set before us (Heb.12:1), in full knowledge that our angelic brethren are cheering us on from heavens sidelines. Conclusion: Our Hope is an Eternal Hope: And so we persevere in our faith, enduring with patience the testing which it is our honor to receive as those who share the sufferings of Christ (1Pet.4:13), waiting expectantly for the time when that faith shall be proven genuine in the crucible of life (1Pet.1:7a), and shall then ultimately result in praise, glory and honor for you at the glorious return of Jesus Christ (1Pet.1:7a). Our faith remains strong, for we are confident in our hope, that is, in our expectation of ultimate deliverance, of ultimate triumph, of ultimate validation and reward far beyond anything we may have been called upon to endure in this short life. The children of Israel were similarly delivered from Egypt into a land flowing with milk and honey, and, similarly, not without severe trial and temptation. Let us see clearly here and now with the eyes of faith our certain rescue and reward, that we may appreciate Gods deliverance even before the fact. Let us rejoice at the parting of our own personal Red Sea even before the mighty waters have stirred, and know with unshaken confidence that God will bring us across dry-shod in His own good time. For it is with such an attitude that the praise, glory and honor of verse seven will indeed fall to our lot: praise from God (a hearty well-done from our Master), glory from God (when He makes our success manifest to all), and honor from God (the bestowing of tangible rewards enduring for all eternity). These blessings are surely not to be compared to the present heartaches and disappointments of life. Eternity is stretching out before us. Let us run with endurance this short race set before us in the full knowledge that God is both with us in the running of it, and stands at the finish line, ready to reward us for the building up and to the perseverance of our faith
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 15:31:13 +0000
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