There were times in my life when I was caused to doubt my faith because I confused an emotional high with genuine faith. But just as the giddy love of newlyweds mellows into something sweeter, deeper, and better--something that can withstand emotional lows and sorrows--our love for, and faith in God matures through emotional highs and lows as the two become one. There is a danger, I think, in putting our faith to an emotional test.
In Job's deepest suffering he was still able to say, "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21) I think it is safe to say Job was in no mood to raise his hands and sing a clappy praise song. But his faith was never shaken. Job's great statement of faith is often quoted: "For I know that my Redeemer lives,and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another." Yet seldom are his very next words quoted with it: "My heart faints within me!" (Job 19:25-27) In spite of his heartbreaking sorrows, Job still knew the gospel and trusted his Redeemer.
So often we examine our faith as if faith is something we have to do well enough to be accepted. But faith is not something we do. It is something we have. It is something we are given. (Eph. 2:8) I can't make myself believe God or trust Him with my life. Only God can do that for me. Nor can I believe Him or trust Him better by working myself up into an emotional fervor.
Part of the confusion, I think, is that in our age, when we speak of the heart, we mean the seat of our emotions. Yet in the Biblical context it more often refers to the seat of our desires or affections. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21) Jesus was not speaking of our emotions here. He was referring to people or things we value. Things we are motivated to keep and protect. Things for which we are willing to sacrifice and die. Job's faith was heartfelt, even when he was emotionally low. Though he had lost many things and people that he had loved and enjoyed, he clung to one thing and would not give it up. He refused to take his wife's advice to, "Curse God and die." (Job 2:9) So when we read those verses that refer to the heart, we tend to examine our emotions when perhaps we ought to be examining our affections and our priorities.
I am not speaking against emotions here. They are a gift of God, too. Yet when the gifts of pleasing emotions are absent, faith is not necessarily absent. Many Christian people battle depression. We probably don't help them much if we scold them to conjure up more faith. Perhaps it would be better counsel to advise them to draw upon their faith to withstand their darkest hours. People who are grieving should not feel they have to put on a happy face to show faith. They can sit in sackcloth and ashes as Job did, and utter genuine, amazing testimonies of faith and trust in God.
What a blessing our emotions can be! The thrill of a new revelation from God's truth, the exhilaration of enjoying His beautiful creation, the love of family and friends, the joy of worship--these are precious gifts indeed. Yet let us not interpret the absence of these emotions as an absence of faith, especially during those darkest hours when it is our faith that will sustain us.
Dory, this is an important, helpful post. I have experienced depression and it was not helpful to read books or hear from well-intentioned people that I should just have a positive attitude, or trust God more, and get on with life. There are often important reasons for depression and other times when we lack happy feelings. Elijah was depressed after dealing with the false prophets on Mt. Carmel. And God met him in his need. Thanks for your good post.
Posted by: Al Johnson | March 19, 2006 at 09:14 PM
Al, I have never experienced depression, but I have watched others that I love go through it. It is so difficult to see someone in that place and not know how to help. Usually when we are wanting to say something, anything, but don't know what to say, we say something insipid, and I suppose I have! But I think that pointing out that the state of our emotions and the state of our faith are two different things is helpful. So is the reminder that it is God who gives faith, and where He gives even only a small weak faith, He gives His faithfulness in return. His faithfulness is of the kind that never forgets or forsakes or gets tired and gives up. Ultimately, it is His faithfulness, His zeal, that saves us, not our own.
Posted by: Dory | March 20, 2006 at 07:11 AM
This is something that many young people need to hear as well. With their focus on feelings, they can easily wonder if their faith is gone when their emotions are not as high, instead of realizing that emotions will rise and fall, while faith can remain strong through all of them. Thanks for the post.
Posted by: Jim Vellenga | March 20, 2006 at 11:18 AM
Great Post! This is something that needs to be said more often. The christian walk should be by faith and not by sight. In the world that we live in, a major emphasis is on emotions, even in our worship it's all emotions it seems. I think that God has placed everything in us (just like you said) to succeed even over depression. What else is amazing, when Job had faith that his Redeemer liveth (liveth being present tense) his Redeemer had not come yet. That's Faith! Great post, keep it up!
Posted by: preacherboy21 | March 20, 2006 at 09:28 PM
Excellent Post. I currently am fighting a pretty good bout of depression and anxiety. I take a lot of joy in the life of Job and the faith of the prophets. Faith comes down to the individual finding ways to increase in faith and vitality in the Lord. Christian council helps, but sometimes it is hard if they have not been through it themselves.
Posted by: Carl Holmes | March 21, 2006 at 12:34 PM
Thanks for this Dory - I can relate.
Welcome back too - I've missed you in the sphere. You make a wonderful contribution always.
Posted by: Catez | March 23, 2006 at 10:08 AM
Thank you for this post. When my baby died I understood, for the first time, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him". It was through tears that I sang and understood some of the great hymns of the faith for the first time. Although I would never wish it on anyone else, I know that God used this time of crisis in my life to strip away everything (and everbody) that I clung to and bring me to trust in Him alone.
Posted by: Heather in WI | March 24, 2006 at 04:17 PM