A Donut Spare Tire

 

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. (Psalm 62:5-8 ESV).

 

The word “faith” appears in the Bible 458 times. If you count other similar words that number soars into the thousands. Our reading today is one of those places where we find a synonym for faith. David, the author of this psalm, simply says, “Trust in Him at all times” (v. 7). I must say that I rarely find it difficult to trust God… that is until a crisis hits. Faith can seem vague and theoretical until a difficult circumstance presents itself. Then, like the donut spare tire in your trunk when you have a flat, your faith suddenly becomes very important. In fact, it may be the only way out of the mess you’re in.

 

In the middle of a crisis, all we usually hope for is some way to get the situation straightened out so that we can move on. No one likes to need faith. As with the little spare tire that comes with most cars today, they are designed as an emergency measure. They are not recommended for long distances. Most of us are willing to rely on our faith for a little while, only as long as we need it. But just as you’ll want to get a real tire back on your car as soon as you can, so also most of us want to move past our faith reliance and find a real reason for confidence. At least that’s how it can seem.

 

No one likes crises, but it’s not hard to see how God can use our crises to reach us in ways that he might not reach us otherwise. Most of us pray differently, more earnestly, in times of crisis. Our fear can prod us to concentrate our gaze toward God through the fog of our uncertainty. And the more we focus, the more we begin to see God.

 

While I do not know of all your challenges today, I do know that life has a way of surprising us with a particularly uphill struggle often. There are those times when things we thought had been dealt with and put to rest pop back into clear focus in our lives. A health crisis long ago dealt with resurfaces with a greater impact that at first. A sudden reversal financially finds us unable to meet our obligations. Destructive habit and practices once brought under control now seem uncontrollable. These are those times that call for us to deepen our awareness of his presence. While this resurgence of faith may not be sustainable for a long period of time (like the donut spare), it will get us to a place where we can make more permanent solutions in our lives. It begins with faith!