What is faith? Is it a feeling? Is it a state of mind? Or is it some intangible, other-dimension reality that we will really not be able to find words for?
Many times I think I have wondered what it is. Whether I have it, or whether I have enough to live the kind of life I know God has in store for me; one completely surrendered to his purpose of seeing this world transformed by the power of His love.
I think it is a question that we all as believers may have at some point. A question we have because we see a promise in God’s word that we do not see come alive in our lives. Promises such as “By his stripes we are healed,” or “nothing shall by any means hurt you,” or “all our needs will be met according to his riches in glory.”
I think we ask because inside, unspoken, we carry a frustration that our lives often do not look too different from the world around us. We fear the same diseases, are in pursuit of the same core objectives of money, status and wealth; but inside, our spirits know and long for more.
Sometimes, what we need is non-religious language to make the concepts come alive. Because we have often heard so many conflicting sermons and theories, we may struggle to internalize truth when we hear it.
One such non-religious expression or description of faith is “To take what someone has said, and to treat it as a fact.” I heard this from one of Curry Blake’s sermons, and it made so much sense to me.
If I take what someone says as a fact because I trust them, and I know that they are reliable – then even if someone comes with a different report, I will be able to argue and stand on the person whose report I trust. If I trust what my manager says about the state of the company; and that there is a need to cut costs, then even if I do not ever get a chance to see the bank balance for myself, I will act accordingly.
It is the same thought process as how the world is responding to the perceived threat and causes of climate change. Or how the world is responding with how it is pushing the agenda of evolution, and the universe being self-serving, and existing for the simple purpose of being there.
Something, that someone who is believed to be an expert is being taken as a fact, and the world is acting accordingly.
Incidentally, what this simple understanding of faith renders to us is an opportunity. An opportunity to reflect and ask ourselves why when we read the Word of God, we struggle to treat what we read as a fact. A fact that does not need our input to be true, and only asks that we believe.
Whilst there are many possible reasons, the one I will pose today is potent.
Could it be that we struggle to see God’s glory for what it is? Far above what we can conjure up in our minds? Could it be that we are deceived, by how impressive technology is – aeroplanes, nanobots, robotics etc, that we think humanity is catching up to the glory of god?
Could it be that we are deceived, by how impressive technology is – aeroplanes, nanobots, robotics etc, that we think humanity is catching up to the glory of god?
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Ask yourself, how big is God’s ability to fulfil his promises in your eyes. Can it be hindered by location? Employment status? Family History?
How big is God in your eyes, relative to the universe he created? Is he bigger than all the galaxies? or are you struggling to imagine that he actually knows everything that has ever happened on Pluto ; struggling to imagine that he knows all the billions of stars by name? How big is God relative to this created world? Is he bound by its laws, or is he truly naturally supernatural?
How big is God in your eyes, relative to the universe he created? Is he bigger than all the galaxies? or are you struggling to imagine that he actually knows everything that has ever happened on Pluto?
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Meditate on Isaiah 40, vs 17 to 18 this week – and ask yourself in this journey of faith: Do I see God for He truly is, so that when I read His Word, I do not struggle to take it as a fact?