Our Faith, the Victor

Consider the life of a pioneer wife. They rose before the sun, often weary from the last day’s work. They pinned their long hair back from their faces, dressed in their layers, and pulled on an apron to start another day. Many of them had traveled long journeys just to get to that place of settling into a home, or working land on a family farm. Some traversed the ocean in ships, carrying sparse possessions to new homelands after saying what they knew was a final goodbye to their families staying behind.

Almost every mother had empty, aching arms at some time during her childbearing years–death claimed one in five children before they reached age five. Every time a woman was expecting a new baby, she knew she may not survive the birth.  Life required much of these wives and mothers and daughters. How did they survive, let alone find joy in their life’s journey? For many of these pioneer women it was their faith in God and their knowledge of the scriptures that sustained them through want, loss, and grief.

Times have changed since those early pioneer days of America.  Still, trials and pain, sadness and grief will be a part of life as long as the world continues, sin has seen to that. But we can take heart if we have trusted Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith. We can triumph over our circumstances with Him, He has seen to that:

For everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world—our [continuing, persistent] faith [in Jesus the Son of God]. 1 John 5:4

There is such beauty in the individual family stories of strong, faith-filled women who relied on God in the circumstances of their lives. But the most beautiful thing about our God is that He is not partial to one person over another, what He does for one He will do for any who ask of Him. His promises are for “whosoever will.” During these trying days in our history, our victory will be through faith in Christ.