Fragile?

Smelling Coffee by Jennifer Walker is one of the blogs I follow. No, I’m not reprinting here. In fact, I haven't read it all yet, but from the first paragraph she addresses a subject that has been on my mind for a while – and it fits so well with our Pastor’s sermon last Sunday. Let’s look at that first – it’s an Elisha story.

It reminded me a bit of a Bible college, a group of ‘preacher boys’, these “sons of the prophets” that came to Elisha and said they were too crowded. He agreed and told them to go, cut down trees for beams, but they wanted him along, too.  Good thing they did:

But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. (2 Kings 6:5-6 KJV)

Pastor likened that axe head to the joy of our salvation. Remember where David sang:

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. (Psalms 51:12 KJV)

Jennifer wrote: “However, this week we learned that what we ‘hoped’ would work out, what we had ‘counted-on’ and ‘planned with that in mind’ would not be immediately coming to fruition. And my FAITH fell off the shelf, and then cracked a little.”

Every one of us have had that happen. Sometimes (as with David) our faith is broken by our own actions. Find out where he was in life when he wrote that 51st Psalm. Lots of things were broken. Sometimes, though, we are responding to what we firmly believe is God’s will in our lives, doing what He has asked us to do, but the results were completely unforeseen. Our faith, always fragile, can show fractures.

James wrote about this, just before he wrote in 1:6 for us not to waver:

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (James 1:2-4 KJV)

So – not having completed Jennifer’s blog, not knowing how she responded, I do have a suggestion for fragile or fractured faith – turn to God. As the young man with the missing axe head went to Elisha and confessed the loss, we go to God and confess our loss. Then turn to His word and read:

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 KJV)

Remember that first joy we had when we understood Christ died for us and through Him we were given salvation? That’s what we need restored – the joy of God’s salvation through faith. Restoration, as David pled:

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Psalms 51:14-17 KJV)

Thank God! He is not fragile.