How can I believe that my heavenly Father truly loves me when he won’t take away my insomnia or chronic pain? How can I trust God with my future when my whole world has exploded at the revelation of my spouse’s infidelity? How can I possibly believe that God knows what’s best for me when he calls me to turn from desires that feel completely natural? How can I entrust my child to the Lord when they’re about to inflict irreversible damage on their body?
Living by faith is difficult. We all struggle every day to remember, believe, and make choices based on God’s Word and his promises to us in Christ. Words on a page can feel meaningless when painful circumstances don’t change. What helps us nurture belief in these hard moments, days, and years?
Unbelief Is a Matter of the Heart
Our flesh looks at these situations and says that God hasn’t given us sufficient evidence that he’s worthy of our trust. But faith is not a matter of evidence. Scripture gives us testimony after testimony of people who had abundant evidence to trust God but still chose unbelief. The Israelites saw God perform over a dozen miracles rescuing them from Egypt, culminating in the parting of the Red Sea. And yet, in a matter of days, they doubted God’s ability or desire to keep them alive in the wilderness. Jesus fed over 5,000 men with nothing more than five loaves and two fish. But later, the crowd refused to believe his explanation of the miracle. His followers drastically decreased after this incredible display of his power and sustaining kindness.
Faith is a matter of the heart, not the eyes. Apart from God’s grace, all of us are born with dead hearts that cannot believe what is evident in all creation (Rom. 1:19–20). But in the new birth, God makes our hearts alive, and we believe. This is saving faith. And yet, this heart transplant does not guarantee an easy road of faith. We still struggle, and so much of our struggle with sexual sin comes down to unbelief.
Lies about God, ourselves, and others become powerful arguments for giving in to sin. After all, our heart says, God doesn’t care, God won’t deliver me, God can’t meet me in this moment—but sex can. Sex always delivers, sex has never let me down, and unlike God, sex doesn’t ask me to believe, just feel. Every time we give way to temptation, we’re believing those deceitful arguments and choosing to live in a world that’s fundamentally untrue.
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We are called to be faithful to the truth. The enemies of God hate the truth. And they would have us think that to speak the truth is a hateful or dangerous thing. They want us to fear their labels. They want us to fear being called bad names. But whenever the temptation arises, let us not fall back or retreat, but let us pray with Nehemiah, “O God, strengthen my hands.”

Fear can be an instrument for good. The fear of falling to your death may prevent you from standing dangerously close to an edge. This is a healthy fear. But fear can also be used as a weapon to hinder good. The fear of social disapproval may prevent you from doing or saying the right thing. This is misplaced fear. It’s the sort of fear that shouldn’t control our lives, and yet today, many are consumed by it.
The fear of being called a bad name, slapped with a dangerous label, or accused of thinking a wrong thing largely dictates what people can and cannot say, despite how harmless, good, or true it may be.
But if we wish to gain any ground in the public square, we must overcome our misplaced fear of being called bad names. We will be called bad names. That’s a certainty. Jesus was called bad names, but that did not prevent him from doing what was right. He spoke the truth, regardless of opposition because his God-given mission was not defined, dictated, or directed by those attempting to silence him.
It’s no different today. Political and religious discourse is dominated by name-calling in an effort to shut down an opponent without having to grapple with his ideas. We don’t need a debate on “racism” or “hate” because everybody knows these things are wrong. Simply, mark your opponent as a hate-filled racist, and you don’t need to entertain his arguments. We’ve already agreed that both racism and hate are wrong.
But false accusations of “racism” or “hate” are oftentimes only used to silence those who are neither racist nor hateful. It’s only those who reject such labels that the false charge is designed to silence. An out-and-proud racist doesn’t care if you identify his racism. He may even help you do it. As such, it is only those who are not hate-filled racists who are likely to retreat when the accusation is raised.
And when it is raised, it’s not because our opponents care about such things, nor because they genuinely believe we are those things. It’s raised precisely because we are not those things, and they know that we care about not being those things.
In this sense, they’re wielding our own principles against us. They’re beating us with our own moral measuring stick. And falsely so! But what might happen if we stopped caring about their false allegations? What if we stopped caring how that dishonest and morally bankrupt segment of society viewed us? Suddenly, their false accusations would be stripped of all their silencing power.
In the book of Nehemiah, we’re told that the enemies of God wanted to prevent Nehemiah and his men from rebuilding Jerusalem’s defences. Their tactic was to weaken the hands of the workers by manufacturing misplaced fear through a false accusation.
They attempted to do this by accusing Nehemiah and his men of “intending to rebel,” and this, they argued, was why they were rebuilding the wall (Neh. 6:6). The false charge was brought against Nehemiah and his men in the hope that it would “frighten” them from their task. The enemies of God were hoping, through a false label, the workers’ hands would “drop from the work, and it would not be done.”
There is nothing new under the sun. Rather than fairly portraying their political opponents, they resorted to misrepresentations – such as accusing them of extremism, or domestic terrorism, to weaken their hands, thereby, stalling their God-given task.
The same tactic is still employed today. “I don’t want to be considered a bigot,” people think, “so, I best abandon any public defence of what’s now considered a controversial opinion.”
Had Nehemiah and his men caved to the fear of a false label their God-given work would have ended. But unlike many today, Nehemiah and his men did not listen to the false charge, nor did they allow any fear of the consequences hinder their task. Instead, Nehemiah prayed: “O God, strengthen my hands.”
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Remember that repentance is not merely a legal necessity but a gift accompanying the true Gospel to all who believe. Rejoicing and gladness will come naturally to such a penitent at worship. Every Sabbath will become a delight instead of a burden and a cumbersome yoke of law. Then, you will know that the Lord alone restores the captivity and fortunes of his people (Ps. 68:18,19). A restored fortune gives one great cause to glory in God through the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, for then salvation has indeed come forth from Zion!

“Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restoresthe fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.” Psalm 14:7 ESV
As we delve into the rich history of God’s people, Israel, in the Old Testament, we uncover the profound significance of this psalm in the worship of the congregation. In verse seven, Jehovah’s faithful express a deep-seated hope for the restoration of their homeland and fortunes, a hope that resonates powerfully in this musical promise.
Israel’s years of faithfulness to their covenant God were few in number, sparse, and checkered with the Lord’s heavy discipline for idolatry. Israel’s recurring punishments began only fifty days after their exodus from Egypt. At the base of Mt. Sinai, after initiating the national covenant with Jehovah God under Moses, the newly formed theocracy first worshipped an idol, a golden calf. At this grievous sin and breach of covenant, Jehovah, acting through Moses, directed the Levites to execute 3,000 of their brethren in retribution for this crime. This punishment, severe as it may seem, serves as a cautionary tale of the destruction sin can initiate if left unchecked.
Jehovah is a patient and forgiving God, eager to pardon the iniquity and sin of his covenant people. His holiness, however, means that he will not overlook sin. This threat particularly applies to those who disregard the Second Commandment by making and worshipping graven images (Ex. 20:4,5).
In meeting out punishment, Jehovah would disperse his people out of their inheritance and scatter them among the heathen, most commonly for worshipping idols and for profaning his Sabbaths. The cold-hearted neglect of their own poor, widows, orphans, and foreigners was likewise a cause for discipline and wrath in Israel. Those who grew sensitive to their shame and owned their guilt pined for relief and a sign of Jehovah’s renewed favor to them. The best sign of God’s favor had always been his near presence and dwelling in the temple in Jerusalem, with a blessed restoration of the inheritance of the various tribes of Israel to their land, according to their ancient lots.
As mentioned above, the hope of restoring their fortunes was kept alive among a dispersed Israel in the worship ordinance of psalm-singing. But note that, though the reason for the dispersion of the people was sin, the instrumental cause was Jehovah himself – he hardens the hearts of the rebellious in just punishment for their sin, sin begetting more grievous sin (Rom 1:24-30). It is he who scatters the defiant to the wilderness places (Ps. 68:6). Accordingly, it is Jehovah God alone that can restore the fortunes of his people when their iniquity is pardoned, and he is pleased to renew his close communion with them in the great congregation (Ps. 35:18). Having every emblem of God’s covenant love restored, Israel could justly and freely rejoice and be glad! The time of returning to their lost fortunes was a year of jubilee and a cause of tremendous and year-long celebration! (see Lev. 27).
Covenant Presbyterian Church is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The precise date is next month, in October. It is humbling to consider that, although we celebrate this anniversary, Israel as a people of God never celebrated a designated 50-year jubilee year in their entire recorded history! The devotion of this impious nation quickly rose and just as quickly fell. There was little steadfastness and loyalty to their King, Jehovah. But the faithful remnant of Israel always longed for this sign of Jehovah’s approbation and love. God had promised and will undoubtedly restore their fortunes.
In our fifty years as a church, this congregation has seen many souls come, remain, and go. Many continue their pilgrimage with Jehovah and serve him faithfully in Christ in other gospel churches. Others have drifted to who knows where (Heb. 2:1). The critical question is whether one is dispersed from one’s fortunes due to sin. Are we a gathered and settled people as the inheritance of Christ our Shepherd?
Sin is both blinding and benumbing. It dulls our spiritual senses and leads us into bondage. Consider the Prodigal Son, who, after a time of discipline, returned home to his fortunes – to his father’s house – and the resulting jubilee celebrated at his return from the “dead” (Lk. 15:16ff). Yet it is a cause for lamentation today to note how many people who had been faithful churchgoers suddenly stopped attending public gatherings of worship during and after COVID-19. This is undoubtedly a modern-day diaspora!
Indeed, the Lord humbles his people for their idolatrous, Sabbath-breaking impiety and scandalous indifference to their needy and afflicted brothers in the faith (Matt 25:29,30)! With so many church closings since 2021, and so many churches being significantly reduced in number, we need to ask ourselves, “Is it me, Lord? Am I complicit in this act of rebellion through my long-established pattern and habit of sin and impiety in the church? Am I an idolator? Who or what do I chiefly serve, God or mammon (Matt. 6:24)? Am I a Sabbath-profaning hypocrite, one that is insensitive and indifferent to the presence of the Lord among his people at worship, and yet own the name “Christian” (Rev. 1:10)? Has the Lord’s Day become my day to do as I please?”
The good news is that if you discern his chastening hand upon you in your estrangement from church, take it as a sign that you are under his care. The Lord disciplines his sons that he loves (Heb. 12:6-9) and sends them such trials as they are dispersed, that they might seek him out of the abundance of misery and be delivered. Yet do not delay your repentance, for you only have this day to do so and no certainty of tomorrow.
Is God your great fortune? Indeed, have you any good in this life and the next beside him (Ps. 73:25)? You consider yourself a believer but are you reconciled to God through Jesus (2 Cor. 5:20)? Are you reconciled to your fellow believers in Christ? Do you enjoy your fortune, which is God, in holy communion with your fellow heirs of salvation in Christ (Heb. 10:25)? If not, you may return to your Father’s house by God’s grace and renew a close and humble walk with your Lord, who dwells with his people (Mic. 6:8).
Those dispersed even as far and low as a heathen pig sty may awaken from their sleep of death to long for their Father’s house and return. Remember that repentance is not merely a legal necessity but a gift accompanying the true Gospel to all who believe. Rejoicing and gladness will come naturally to such a penitent at worship. Every Sabbath will become a delight instead of a burden and a cumbersome yoke of law. Then, you will know that the Lord alone restores the captivity and fortunes of his people (Ps. 68:18,19). A restored fortune gives one great cause to glory in God through the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, for then salvation has indeed come forth from Zion!
Lou Veiga is a Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is Pastor of Covenant PCA in Houston, Texas.

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