Faith Is Action

I think that when we talk about faith today, we may forget there is no need for proof or guarantee other than what God gives us in His word. In Hebrews 11 it says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Our level of faith sometimes fluctuates based on how difficult something is to accomplish or how bad we want to see something done. Someone prays with fervor when they want their sports team to win or when they were caught doing something wrong and are trying to avoid the consequence. Actually, that is seldom faith. It is works. We think that if we pray harder, bargain seriously, or plead with God that He might help us. If it was faith, we probably wouldn’t be asking for God’s intervention. When there are souls dying without Christ, it the winner of a game that pressing? Now to pray for safety for players or to use their gifts well is more appropriate. I’m not saying we can’t pray for God’s leading, but if we pray more earnestly for our “team” than we lift up God’s people, we might need to ask what our relationship with God is like. Faith isn’t a means of ensuring we get what we want, but rather a full trust in God that leads us to seek Him. Praying for things beyond our control because we believe it is God’s will or that what we pray for is faithful to God’s leading is real faith. I heard a great quote the other day, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Faith isn’t waiting to see the answer and then stepping in to take credit or use the circumstances. It is stepping forward because it is where God is leading. Faith is strengthened by the testimony of Scripture, the reality of what we have seen God do in the past, and the knowledge that nothing is impossible with God. By faith, the priests, heading into the promised land, stepped into the flooded Jordan River before the waters had resided. By faith, Moses went to Egypt to ask for the release of God’s people, knowing Pharaoh very likely would kill him. When we always do what is safe, for God, that is not necessarily faith, but an acceptable risk. We don’t have to do the impossible every day, but we must never cease to believe doing the impossible is God’s specialty. Father, strengthen us in faith and the knowledge of Your word so that we truly understand that nothing is impossible with You. Amen