Growing Faith

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; (Hebrews 11:17 NAS)

As I reflect upon my past—the years I have been walking in the Lord till now—I begin to see more and more of God’s plan gradually revealed to me. During times of difficulty, such as when I was without a job, I learned to depend on God completely. When I was hospitalized, I learned what it means to depend on others to care for me. Now, I am discovering why the Lord has put me through three different career shifts before I become who I am today—a writer.

After I completed high school and military service more than 20 years ago, I started my career as a legal and marketing assistant in a financial institution. Several years later, I was led to a different career path to take up a technical support position in the information technology (IT) industry. Today, besides providing freelance writing services, I am also hired as a marketing communication and technical writer for an IT corporation.

All these years of learning and molding serve as a training ground to prepare me for God’s purpose—to write for God and men. Learning to depend on God during difficult times and on others when in need teaches me not to rely on my own strength, but to trust God and develop a team spirit working with others. Getting to know legal documentation and marketing related stuff, along with competency in IT, provides me with the right knowledge necessary to be a marketing communication and technical writer. Writing for men provides the means to keep me and my family alive, while writing for God gives me the opportunity to reach out to the ones God wants me to minister.

Looking back, the guidance of God seems so clear, yet there were times I faltered in trusting God completely for my family’s livelihood. Through the years, however, as my family and I continue to trust God more and more, there are visible signs of growth in our faith in God.

Some of us, like me, may have gone through years of training to be prepared for a work the Lord has planned for us. We may not realize it at that point of time when we were being molded by God to go through difficulties times, but when we reflect, we may realize God’s hand in our lives. We may see how God has led us every step of the way to become who we are today. Even if we are going through times of difficulty now, we need not stumble, for we can rest assured that God is in control working through His plan for our lives (Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11).

Let us therefore learn a few lessons from Abraham, the patriarch of the Old Testament. By faith when he was called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). As believers and children of God, we ought also to walk by faith and trust God completely in all areas of our lives, even if we are unclear the full plan of God. Abraham may have faltered occasionally in failing to acknowledge Sarah as his wife while under threat (Genesis 12:10-20; 20:1-18), but he grew in faith to eventually trust God completely even to sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:12; Hebrews 11:17). When we falter at times, therefore, we should also not give up, but continue to trust God and grow in faith. When we face difficult times, we need not fight our battles alone (Genesis 14:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13), for God is our strength and our help (Psalm 46:1-3; Nahum 1:7).

Dear Lord, thank You for always looking out for us through all the years we walk in You. We know Lord that in all circumstances we can completely trust You, even when we do not clearly see Your plan for our lives. Forgive us Lord for the times we falter. Help us to continue to trust You more and more, that we may grow in faith. Remind us Lord that we are not alone in our struggles going through difficult times. Strengthen us Lord that we may stay strong and firm, knowing that You are in control of all things.