A Turbulent Ascent

A Turbulent Ascent

At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. John 6:66

HEADWINDS ARE HELPS RATHER THAN HINDRANCES to the life of faith. Like a plane taking off into the wind, a believer of mature faith sees obstacles and contradictions to prayers as opportunities for faith to be lifted higher and evidence that God is setting the stage for a greater testimony. But a plane’s journey is far from complete after its initial ascent. It must rise above the clouds to fly in clear skies. And those clouds can cause quite a bit of turbulence. If we didn’t know better, we might think the resistance was a bad sign.

After Jesus fed thousands with a few loaves and fish, he engaged in a lengthy and contentious discussion with those who were offended by his metaphors—himself as the bread of heaven, his flesh and blood as true food and drink, and challenging words about his descent from and ascent back into heaven. Some listeners may have genuinely misunderstood these graphic metaphors; others simply rejected his claims. In any case, nearly everyone left him at this point. And the only reason his closest followers remained was, as Peter said, they had nowhere else to go, no other source for words of life (verse 68). Jesus’ claims and the disciples’ faith in them were being shaken and tested, and only the truest believers would remain.

You may go through turbulent times at various points in your journey of believing, and sometimes that turbulence comes right before the clearest and most beautiful views. It may come from the shift in circumstances that must occur before God’s answers come, from the resistance of others who do not understand your faith, or from any other kind of spiritual opposition. But turbulence is a brief discomfort on a heavenward ascent, figuratively speaking, and it is never the right time to try to escape. Most of Jesus’ listeners fled because they couldn’t cope with the friction. Some stayed because they had focused their faith on him alone. As his words—his promises, encouragements, instructions, challenges, comforts, and plans—become more and more real in your life, they may demand more resolve from you. Cling to them, even when you are shaken. Clear skies are always ahead.

Onward in faith—and leave the rest to heaven.