Faith.
In Hebrews we hear that “God rewards those who seek Him. And without faith it is impossible to please Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
Faith.
It always seems our faith is being tested. And at times it seems to be a hard-to-find and rare commodity. The secular world doesn’t care about faith. The world strives to shape us by material and physical things. What good is faith? We want proof. If you can’t see it or hold it in your hand, then what’s the point? So, why do we care about faith? Why does God care about faith? Some questions simply cannot be answered by our material world.
Mortality.
I honestly am not afraid to die, but I do think quite often about my mortality. I think about the notion that some morning I just won’t wake up. What then? What happens when we die? Is that it? Fade to nothingness? Slide into oblivion? Is it that our moment on earth is just a meaningless blip that blends into the timeline of history as though we never even existed? God promises otherwise. (1 Kings 11:4-13)
Trust.
We can’t see into the future. We don’t have evidence that there is anything else. So why would we think otherwise? Why should we trust God? I want proof! God presents us with Scripture. No, I mean real evidence. God presents witnesses from the disciples to those around us who testify to God’s work in their lives. I need to know!
Trust.
God says, “Let’s sit and talk a while.” Isn’t it funny? As much as I want proof, I also realize that establishing 2+2=4 does not produce a fuller life. A relationship with God produces a fuller life. And faith and trust are key to that relationship. And if I know this, why is faith and trust such a challenge?
The disciples didn’t understand the Transfiguration of Jesus and had no clue what Jesus meant about rising from the dead (Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8, Luke 9:28–36, 2 Peter 1:16–18). And yet they continued to follow Him. Why? They recognized how valuable a relationship with Jesus was in their lives. They had faith and trust.
It’s not wrong to have question or doubts. God gave each of us a brain. But we have to be wary of being drawn into the world’s way of thinking. If we view ourselves solely by the world’s standards, we will conclude we are unlovable. God says again and again how much He loves us.
An example of this love is found in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 7:24-30). Jesus has been busy ministering, healing, and preaching—and He has dealt with some very difficult and disapproving Pharisees. Now He enters the home of an unnamed friend to rest, and He hopes no one will find out that He's here, at least not until He's finished recuperating.
We all know what that's like! Just when we can't handle one more person demanding one more ounce of energy from us, and we've settled into the couch to relax, the phone rings and someone else needs our attention.
Jesus had only started to rest when someone came knocking. When she asks for help, we can hear grouchiness in His response; He was grumpy because He was tired. Remember, Jesus is human like us in every way except sin. But despite His grouchiness, He did not sin, because He still cared. The woman's needs were as important as His own; not less nor more important, but the same as. So instead of selfishly turning the woman away, and without ignoring His own needs, He gave her what she needed and then immediately sent her out the door. Her faith and trust were her way of showing her appreciation of the love of God.
My prayer today is for those of us who struggle with faith and trust. That we could release some of that struggle and reap the reward of a better relationship with God.
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