Jason Silver

Friday, April 3rd, 2020

Anniversary of Faith

Guest post from Joanne Silver:

Reading about Psalm 132 online, I discovered that it is used as an anniversary song to remember the ark of the covenant. It recalls the difficulties of the past, the hardships endured, and looks forward to the hope of a coming Messiah.

That got me thinking about anniversaries, specifically, anniversaries of faith. Do you have a day you look back on to remember a religious decision or experience? Is there some point in your personal story that serves as a marker for your spiritual awakening? Maybe it's the date of your baptism, or the moment you first felt God stirring in your innermost soul? Perhaps it's the time when you bottomed out, with nowhere to go, but up, toward a loving and accepting God?

It would be hard for me to pick a specific date to celebrate a faith anniversary, because although there have been many pivotal moments, they are all critical events in this journey with God. As my spiritual relationship moves and changes, I look back at the heritage of faith my ancestors have given me.

My grandparents lived through the Russian revolution, and their faith was challenged by terrible atrocities and persecutions. In all of those trials, their relationship with God remained the center of their life. They met adversity with prayer, and thanksgiving, and have handed that legacy down to the generations that followed.

As a child, I often heard stories of bombings, near misses, supernatural interventions, and close calls. I heard about the ways my forebears worshipped God in all of these moments, by singing hymns together in the darkness.

We're in a contemporary dark time right now, with rampant fear, loneliness, and isolation. Many people are concerned about their next meal, even the future for their children! So in all of these trials, what kind of faith legacy will we leave? What will our descendants learn from our faith, through this difficult time in history?

As we navigate these very uncertain, COVID-19 times, where all the spiritual traditions of church and fellowship are turned on their head, will faith really be our foundation?

Let's all agree together that there is no other option than to praise Him, whatever he brings.

Amen.