What difference does faith make?
It can make all the difference!
We all will journey through challenging days, and eventually, death will overcome us. 100% of people born in 1900 have now died. And so shall you. How do we travail these days of physical, emotional, and mental decline?
When a person begins to pass through this time of genuine awareness of their vulnerability, they will inevitably ask the question: Where is the rock I can stand on when everything is falling apart?
What will be your refrain in hard times?
Some will seek security in finances, relationships, or their own wits as their rock only to find them inadequate. Some people have rejected God all their lives therefore, in their greatest time of need, they ask: What difference does faith make?
What Matters in the End
One person asking these questions is in our health care area on temporary respite for several physical ailments. He called God a multitude of names not suitable for publication and explained what physical harm he would do to God if He was a visible person. Without faith, he is left with rage, animosity, and cynicism. He had no hope for his future and nothing to hold onto as death takes over.
Up to this point in his life, everything rested on his ability to control life, but now he is out of control. He sought a sense of peace from others, occupation, and self-reliance. But success didn’t give him any peace. His verbal rantings were his only reprieve from thinking about his inevitable end.
Faith Makes a Difference
In contrast, this question becomes a statement: What a difference faith makes! We can think of so many examples of people of faith sharing their strong dependence upon the Father. Hebrews 10:23 reads, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."
This individual’s faith was not just for the moment, but they see God in everything. In sickness, they observe the character of God being demonstrated to them while going through these infirmities.
If they had not been sick, they may have missed God revealing something about His character. In the death of a spouse or family member, the person of abiding faith is cognizant of the presence of the comforting Spirit. Through the tears, the person of faith sings, “God is so good, He’s so good to me.” Throughout their lives, they have seen the Heart of God walking with them. People of faith are marked by endurance.
Since God has walked with us before, He will walk with us today. Persons of faith may not have found satisfactory answers to ultimate questions about the meaning of pain and death, but they have found God’s presence satisfactory. They have sense of purpose in their lives. Their faith in God has given them that purpose. Scriptures, hymns, and spiritual songs bring comfort as well as confidence that their faith is not in vain.
Everyday Examples of Faith
One example of the faith is a resident in our Memory Care apartments. We all gathered around the central area for worship. Songbooks had been handed to each resident. One resident was holding the songbook upside down and not even on the correct page. Yet, she was correctly singing every word of the hymn out loud. Her faith was a testimony to us all as she expressed the beauty of the Lord to our listening ears.
From the unbeliever, life may be a sense of doing. The focus is on production and accomplishments. Believers, however, have a sense of being that is demonstrated through their faith. God becomes their all in all. This spiritual journey now enhances their relationship with God. This relationship with the Father enables them to experience hope and empowerment. Dark days may surround them, but the light of the Father has never been extinguished.
As one pastor wrote, “Let your gaze be on the Father and your glance at the problem.” This healthy spirituality discovers meaning during times of brokenness. People of faith know who they are in Christ. People of faith know whose they are in Christ. This faith is an abiding one that provides a comforting presence.
Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
So what will be your refrain in hard times? What difference does faith make? or What a difference faith makes!
John Bender is the Chaplain Buckner Parkway Place, Houston. He is interested in senior care across levels intersecting with faith.
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