I recently invigilated a geography GCSE exam which had questions about coastal erosion. Coastal erosion is the wearing away of land and the removal of beach or dune sediments by wave action, tidal currents, wave currents, drainage or high winds. The nearest example to us is probably Scarborough, where the 70 metre high coastal cliffs, although protected at the toe, have been subject to a range of smallscale to largescale slumping failures. This kind of erosion is often gradual, but has dangerous consequences.
The erosion of faith similarly does not happen instantly; we are often faced with trials and difficulties over a long period of time, and these can gradually chip away at our confidence, faith and trust. David, in his youth, was persecuted by Saul over a long period of time. Even when he had the opportunity to take revenge and harm Saul, he refused to do so, realising that God would sort the matter out. (‘David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed.’ 1 Sam 26:9-11) Over time, however, David’s confidence was eroded, and he ended up taking refuge amongst the Philistines and even feigning insanity to protect himself. (‘David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.” 1 Sam 27:1) The constant pressure of living as a hunted man took its toll on David’s faith.
A similar thing can be seen in the life of Elijah, whose confidence against the opposition of Ahab and Jezebel led to the defeat of Baal’s prophets on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:15-46). Not long after, however, when Jezebel threatened his life, he was afraid and ran for his life (1 Kings 19:3), feeling abandoned, alone and defeated, so depressed that he wanted to die (1 Kings 19:4, 10).
How do we guard our lives against this kind of erosion? Faith erosion happens when our strength is depleted, when our perspective becomes short-term and when we focus more on circumstances and people than on God. David himself learned how to handle long-term pressure; in 1 Sam 29 and 30, we see him under great pressure from enemies and from dissension within his own ranks, but the difference here is that he ‘found strength in the Lord his God.’ (1 Sam 30:6) He learned to encourage himself in God by keeping his eyes firmly fixed on God, rather than on his enemies. Peter tells us to ‘cast all your cares on God, because he cares for you.’ (1 Pet 5:7) Don’t let circumstances or other people grind you down. Continue to wait and hope in the God who daily bears our burdens and saves us from certain death. (Ps 68:19-20)