Why is faith difficult? Why are there so many life lessons concerning faith? To go further, let me challenge you to do an image search. Type the word faith in your internet search box then click images. What do you get? You may see the image below. Is this image, and/or ones like it, an accurate representation of faith?
Life Lessons: Faith & the Unseen
The image in question is NOT an accurate representation of faith. So what’s wrong with this type of image?
The problem with the image is the rock on the right side. Per Scripture, faith must address elements unknown to you/me. A truly accurate image of faith would be blank on the right side. OK, not blank but something not visible to our eyes!
Faith’s first requirement is being absolutely certain I have heard from God. We can be sure through His Word, or prayer, or that still, small voice. But however He chooses to speak, He says His sheep know His voice. A pastor friend of mine often said too many church members couldn’t tell the difference between God’s voice and indigestion! But I am off track… 🙂
Life Lessons: Acting on the Unseen
When we know-that-we-know we have heard from the Lord, then we must act (exercise faith) on that revelation. It will look a little bit like the image to the right. Our faith journey will in fact look like that staircase. We are pressing onward and upward. Everything is going fine. Then we reach that last step and the only thing before us is a door that we cannot possibly know what lies beyond. It is beyond our reason and power to continue. It looks as if this is the end. What do we do? How do we proceed?
That door is where one or all of several things will happen. When we reach that point, we:
- Pray
- Study the Word
- Seek Godly Advice
- We Wait on God’s Timing
- Listen for God to Speak
Our circumstances will vary, but the crisis of belief we experience on that step is real. When do we move on? When we are absolutely certain God has said,
Keep climbing. I’ve got this!
For Peter, it was the moment he got out of the boat and walked on the water. Abraham’s moment came when he left his homeland for the land God promised to show him. For Gideon, it was when God reduced Gideon’s army to 300 men so there would be no doubt the battle was the Lord’s. In each case, there was certainty about God’s instructions. And in each case God was faithful!
The Hand of God
O yeah! There’s one more thing. God’s hand was there for the events above. But nobody could see it! God’s hand is real, but not seen by us. That hand supports us as well as guides us. Figuratively, you may be looking into space where a step is supposed to be, or you may have come to a closed door. In either case, we must rely on God to make a way. We must trust the One Who promises to do more than you can ask or imagine!
Soli Deo Gloria!
0 Comments