In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Ephesians 6:16 NIVUK
In 1987, the pop singer George Michael, a man who made no pretences about being a Christian, released a song called ‘Faith’. Ostensibly about trusting himself to make the right choice while breaking up with a girl, the song became a huge megahit across the world.
The song featured the oft-repeated refrain ‘You gotta have faith’.
Well, he got that right. But in what should we have faith?
In times gone past, faith communities were respected, even revered. But in recent decades, there have been a constant slew of scandals: whether to do with abuse or exploitation or financial irregularities or even violence.
The question has to be asked, then: ‘What is the point of faith? Why have it, if it doesn’t make you a better human being?’
Of course, the reality is that it should, otherwise your faith is dead and useless. James is absolutely clear on this (James 2:14-26).
So what is, then, the point of faith?
Paul explains one point of faith to the Ephesians – and it’s an eminently practical one.
Paul describes faith as being a shield – a shield against one of the most fearsome weapons of the day: a fiery dart.
Of course, he is not suggesting that the devil fires actual fiery darts at us. No, this is a metaphor – a picture designed to provide one of the most important benefits of faith.
When we are in difficult situations, we often find our mind spiralling and panic setting in. This is never a good or a positive situation. It never contributes anything to changing our situation, except to make it worse.
In this awful situation, we need weapons to fight back against the ‘anxious thoughts’ (Psalm 139:23). After all, we are told not to be anxious (Philippians 4:6), so surrender to anxiety must not be inevitable.
This is where faith comes in. But not just any old faith. You see, faith is strong not because it exists, but because of in whom we place it.
You can consider a huge ship, anchored to prevent drifting. I had the privilege of being on the bridge of a cruise ship in the Caribbean Sea. I was astonished to realise that even a huge ship with more than ten decks and over five thousand people inside was still capable of drifting.
If a ship is anchored to a sandbank, there is a risk that the anchor could be dragged through the sand and the ship could still drift.
However, if the ship is anchored to a rocky part of the sea bed, it will stay where it is.
It’s exactly the same with faith. The very fact that you have faith in something will make no difference, unless that something is truly worthy of your faith.
And the most worthy thing to have faith in is a Someone – God.
The Bible presents a distinct route from anxiety to peace.
Firstly, we have faith in God that He exists and will reward us for seeking Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Secondly, we pray to Him, presenting our situation to Him (Philippians 4:6-7).
Thirdly, we recall His character: His goodness, His love, how He has come good for us in the past (Psalm 77:10-12).
Fourthly, we remember all His great promises to us (Psalm 106:12; 2 Corinthians 1:20).
Fifthly, by filling our mind with these, and other positive, productive thoughts (Philippians 4:8), we tame the anxiety beast and bring our emotions back under control.
None of these – not one single one – are possible without faith in Someone who is truly worthy of it.
Without faith, we are left completely unguarded and vulnerable against anxiety, doubt and fear. Indeed, we have no answer to it.
Breathing exercises, taking our mind off the problem, therapy, even taking medication if our situation is chronic, all have their place and all can be necessary. But to truly conquer anxiety we need to have the courage to stare down the root cause and fix it. That can – and does – only come when we have faith.
And that can only happen through prayer.
Through prayer, we exchange the heavy burden of our anxiety for the lighter burden God has designed us to carry (Matthew 11:28-30).
Through prayer and seeking God’s intervention in our situation, we are reminded of His goodness and His grace, and are relieved of the stress we bear (Psalm 63:6-8; Psalm 107:6, 13, 19, 28).
Through prayer, we surrender our agenda and submit to God’s (Matthew 6:9-10), meaning that we don’t waste time and energy fighting for things we will never have. And we do so in the calm, serene belief that God knows best and that He has our best interests at heart (Romans 8:28).
But prayer is only possible if we have faith in God, as the writer to the Hebrews states. We approach God through prayer because we believe that He hears us and will answer us.
Faith is what makes prayer possible. Prayer is what makes resiliency possible. Resiliency is what makes overcoming possible.
It all begins with faith.
There is more too. Roman shields were large, curved, metallic devices that were designed to interlock. Roman soldiers had a genius tactic where they would lock their shields together to form something akin to a metallic armadillo and then advance towards their enemy, knowing that their shields made them practically invulnerable to most light weapons such as arrows, javelins and spears.
Faith does something similar. When we join together with people of a similar faith, it makes us all stronger. Our fellowship interlocks and we become a means of strength and protection and encouragement for each other. That’s why we are commanded to not give up meeting together (Hebrews 10:24-25), because the interlocking of our faith makes us stronger.
I honestly don’t know how anyone can get through life without faith.
Every human being will find themselves assaulted by the fiery darts of stress, worry and anxiety at some point in time. It isn’t unusual. It’s part of the human experience. And it isn’t wrong.
But it’s what we do in those times of anxiety that make the difference.
We could battle alone in our own strength, exposed to the incalculable damage that anxiety can wreak on a person. I would not recommend it. The outcome is not likely to be pretty.
Or we can take our refuge behind the shield of faith – not just alone, but together with other faithful people who can strengthen us and encourage us.
Let me tell you: in my experience there is no safer place to be.
Questions
1. What do you think is the point of faith?
2. How does having faith in God help your resilience?
3. Does it matter in whom you have faith? How had God rewarded your faith when times have been hard?
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