What Does Faith Look Like?

Dear Fellow Children of God,

 

Christians know that faith is important.  So, what does faith look like?  I believe I saw faith in action this past week.

 

I went to the Kenai Peninsula and spent Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday dip-netting for red salmon.  Many of you know this uniquely Alaskan adventure.  But, for those who have never participated let me explain. 

 

Every year the red salmon return to their various rivers and streams, including the Kenai River.  In Alaska, in addition to fishing with a rod and reel, residents can harvest the resource of salmon for personal use with hand held nets in some locations.  So, hundreds and thousands of people flock to the city of Kenai to put nets in the water and hope that the fish are in.  People stand in the mud on shore and hold nets in the water.  People float down stream in boats and stick their nets in the water.  When the fish are in there is a great harvest of these delicious fish.  Three years ago a group of St. John members drifted in my boat and netted 89 fish in about 5 hours.  But, sometimes the fish are not in.  A number of times I have drifted all day and netted no fish, or 2 fish, or like Wednesday, only 3 fish.

 

Wednesday was not a great day to dip net.  In fact, in the middle of our day I called the Alaska Department of Fish and Game office who told me, “The fish are not in the river.”  They were confirming my experience.  But, while my daughter, Mary, and friend, Dave Nufer, and I worked hard we looked around us.  In a short mile long section there were maybe 500 to a thousand boats, not including the people on the shore.  Each boat averaged about 4 people holding nets in the water.  Every minute or two we would see one boat net a fish, but that was it.  Yet, in spite of the lack of fish there were still thousands of nets in the water waiting for the fish to come, fish we had been told were not there.  Even though we weren’t seeing success people kept their nets in the water, knowing the fish would come some time, and hoping that time would be soon.

 

Scripture says that God saves us from sin and death and hell by faith in Jesus.  When we trust that by God’s love and grace Jesus lived and died and rose to pay for our sins and offer us eternal life, God gives us the gift of forgiveness and life.  Our lives in this world are changed by faith.  Our lives are changed eternally, by faith, because of Jesus.

 

But having faith, trusting God in the middle of life’s trials, is difficult.  God tells us in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  When the pains and trials of life assault us we can be led to doubt God’s love.  We can wonder if He loves us at all.  Yes, God tells us He loves us in Jesus.  But life can make us wonder, “Really?  Then why is my life so difficult and painful?”

 

On Wednesday hundreds of people hoped for the fish they were not seeing.  They were so sure that fish would arrive sometime, that for hours they held nets in the water with little or no success.  But, they continued to have faith and trust that fish were coming, so in spite of their lack of success they kept trying.

 

People may hurt us.  Illness may strike.  Tragedy may overwhelm us.  But God promises that He loves us.  God promises that His love is there even when we fail Him and even when life overwhelms us.  So, God calls us to trust His love for us in Jesus.

 

Dave and Mary and I quit fishing between 1:30 and 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday.  So did our son, Josh, who was fishing from shore.  The fish were not there.  Why keep trying?  But, another member of St. John, Herman Griese, did not give up.  He kept fishing and between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. a run of fish hit.  He ended up with 26 fish that day.  We quit trusting the fish would arrive.  Herman kept trusting and hoping and his trust led to fish.

 

When life hurts and I need a reminder that faith continues to trust in God’s love, I’ll remember those thousands of people in the boats, holding their nets in the water even when the fish weren’t there.  When life hurts and you wonder if God loves you, do you continue to trust that in Jesus God’s love is sure and certain?  Faith keeps trusting God’s love even when life might lead us to question God’s love.  “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

 

A Child of God, Trusting God’s Love in Life’s Trials,

Pastor Jonathan

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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’    I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have.  (I am always adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first time.) 000 However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message. . . Or, if you know someone who would like to receive one of these e-mails, please send me their e-mail address.

 

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