Faith Under Fire
November 9, 2025
Dr. Paul Cannings
When we reflect on all that is taking place in our country and around the world, it can sometimes feel as though the Lord is absent or detached from our world. Christ Himself may have experienced similar feelings, given all that He experienced every day. Yet, despite the weight of the world, Christ did not flinch.
Without reflecting on passages like Matthew 24, as we live in these difficult times, we may wonder why God does not immediately eliminate evil, bless those who suffering, or provide strength to the weary? Yet passages like James 1:2-4, the fire darts of Ephesians 6:12-17 seem to imply the dire circumstances are more the norm than the exception. This reality is reinforced in 1 Peter 4:12; 1:3-9 portrayed even more when we read; “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing as though some strange thing were happening you to.” (1 Peter 4:12; 1:3-9) These scriptures remind us that trials are not unusual, but rather a part of the believer’s journey, refining faith and character through perseverance.
The real question is not whether we will face difficulties, but how we remain faithful through them. Scriptures assures us of God’s protection: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and rescues them” (Psalm 34:7). It also reminds us that “Many are the afflictions of the righteous (those who live by faith), but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:7, 19) Our protection is guaranteed (Hebr. 1:14), our strength is supplied (Ephesians 3:16), and His power is available (Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:17).
Faithfulness requires complete surrender to the will of God. This determination is modeled by the heroes in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11 and described in Hebrews 12:1-2:
“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (NASU)
Rather than focusing on the many darts of life, we are called to lift the shield of faith, which “extinguishes all the faming arrows of the evil one.” (Eph. 6:16) Paul reminds us that there is only one fight worth fighting: “the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7). Though conflicts, struggles and emotionally distressing circumstances may arise, our response must always be rooted in faith and the application of God’s Word (2 Peter 1:3-4). Faith is the currency that Christ rewards (Hebr. 11:6; Romans 10:17).
Christ exemplified complete surrender to the will of God, carrying out the Father’s agenda amid hate, resentment, rejection, gossip, and desertion. He trusted fully in God’s promises, knowing He would rise on the third day (John 10:14-18). Christ lived by faith not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7), showing us the path we are called to follow.