Be Steadfast In Your Faith
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘(13) You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us. (14) You have made us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us. (15) I live in disgrace all day long, and my face is covered with shame (16) at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me, because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge. (17) All this came upon us, though we had not forgotten you; we had not been false to your covenant… (22) Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ (Psalm 44:13-17, 22); ‘What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?’ (Romans 8:31)
The sons of Korah, who wrote Psalm 44 as a lament, start with praise but then go into a bit of caution (by verse 9) as they write about God seemingly allowing them to fall into hardship, impoverished and overrun by their enemies. They are put down, shamed, and faced with condemnation (or worse) by their foes. The Korah brothers, though, hold steadfast to their Faith, that God has perhaps made them for this purpose; their Faith is to be a testament to both the love of God upon them and their love of God upon Him, through their unwavering commitment to Him, even as they face death.
Paul refers to Psalm 44:22 in his letter to Rome, in chapter 8. In Romans 8:31-39, Paul provides clarity to Psalm 44; while we face ridicule, slander, or worse by those who are anti-Christian, Jesus and His Father are always with us. Jesus may not always come to rescue us from physical death, but Paul makes it clear that God’s promise to provide for us eternal life is unbreakable. We are His creation, and to better serve His purpose, we may have to go through hardships, even persecution or death, to demonstrate how strong our Faith is in Him, to others.
Though we may be persecuted by people, what does that matter to God? It doesn’t! Paul makes it clear that no one can judge us, condemn us, or separate us from God – except God Himself. With the promise of God in John 3:16 that those who believe and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior are sealed to have everlasting life in Him, God will not contradict Himself so He would only separate Himself from the non-believers.
People will be driven by Satan to go against those who believe. It may be through temptation, slurs, persecution, or even physical harm – up to and including death. We cannot fear or be made to be ashamed of being Christians but be accepting of suffering for the cause of Christ (2 Timothy 1:8). In other words, we cannot just confess our Faith with our words but we also must confess with our deeds. How we stand for Christ by our actions in the midst of troubles, even troubles that threaten our lives, is more important in the demonstration of our Faith than just what we say.
Pray for the Lord’s strength to provide us the ability to remain steadfast in the persecution the church, all the believers who comprise the Bride of Christ, will face – and in several places, are facing, and may He provide His comfort to us, knowing no matter what, we are with Him, grafted into His family for all eternity.
