Recently I gave the eulogy at my mother’s memorial service. I had struggled with the thought of doing so, but while sitting in worship the morning before she passed, I sensed the Spirit say, “Don’t let your mother’s fearful faith be the last word over your family.” I knew then that I had an assignment.

Second Timothy 1:5 (NIV) speaks of “sincere faith” that was found in three generations. I realized my grandmother, my mother and I all possessed sincere faith, but mine is different from what I knew of theirs. I began to reflect upon the faith descriptions throughout Scripture. Jesus spoke of those with little faith, persistent faith, notable faith. The writer of Hebrews described courageous faith, unrelenting faith, persevering faith.

Through this study I gained a deeper understanding. It is faith that keeps us, but how we are kept is determined by the descriptive word preceding “faith.”

In times of crisis, our descriptors become evident. Let’s focus our minds on the goodness and faithfulness of God, and experience His transforming work in our faith. May our prayer be, “You are good, and the source of good; train me in Your goodness” (Ps. 119:68, MSG).

Prayer + Reflection

  1. Prayerfully examine how you are being kept through it all. Are you filled with serene faith or anxious faith? Are you displaying confident faith or wavering faith? Pray for supernatural peace and goodness to overrule fear and anxiety, and that what the enemy meant for destruction would be turned into the Shalom of God.
  2. Pray that the fruit of the Spirit would be abundant in the orchard of the church, and that our descriptive words for our faith would come from that list of holy qualities. Pray: “Lord, please create and uphold in me a faith that is ______.” (Add your own descriptor from Scripture.)
  3. Ask the Lord to meet our most basic needs of food, shelter and medicine, and that the least of these would not be forgotten. Ask Him how we can be His hands and feet while facing our own trials and preserving safety.

Resource

Pastor Dan Hicks provides encouragement and guidelines for helping people through the anxiety and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read Dan’s article for tips on pastoral care.

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