Why faith?

‘...if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.’
(Isaiah 58:10)

This has long been a favourite Bible verse of mine. It’s a beautiful picture of what happens when we put our faith into action. Our whole lives light up when we reach out to help others.

But it’s not an easy time to have faith, is it?
There’s so much turmoil around the world, and we can feel powerless in the face of it.

Christians are being persecuted at almost unprecedented levels across large parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

In the UK, while we enjoy relative freedom and peace, we live in what is now a largely secular society, in which religion is often mocked.

So how do we respond?
Do we batten down the hatches? Close ranks? Isolate ourselves from the world?

I hope not, because the world needs faith. The world needs the restoring, redeeming power of Jesus and – though we’re far from perfect – we are his hands and feet.

In the face of widespread cynicism, apathy and even despair, faith gets to its feet, rolls up its sleeves, and strides towards the brokenness.

As the Bible tells us, ‘faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead’ (James 2:17b). This is what Tearfund has always been about – channelling believers’ faith into prayer and practical action, bringing the restoring love of Christ to people in poverty.

Let’s pray

Loving God,
Thank you for the community of faith to which we belong. Give each of us the wisdom to see how we can put our faith into action, and then give us the courage to act. We pray for a fresh wave of compassionate action in the church, so that the ‘night will become like the noonday.’ In Jesus’ name, amen.