I have been pondering the word "faith" lately. It's seriously a huge word.
I've read of it more times than I can count or recall. I've claimed it, spoken of it and prayed for it. Sometimes I've felt overflowing with it....and other times....I've felt like I didn't have any.
And truthfully, I'm having a hard time writing about it. But the more I read God's Word, the more exciting it becomes, the more I want to know, the hungrier I feel inside my soul for Truth, and the more I realize how little I know about a lot of things, and in particular, about faith.
When I think back through all the heroes and heroines in the bible that I admire....each one had pretty much, one thing in common....Faith.
They let go of themselves...and took the hand of God.
Ephesians 6:16 says
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
1 Thessalonians 5:8 talks about....having put on the breastplate of faith
I couldn't help but think here about what the breastplate protects.
When life gets crazy...when we have conflicts and trials and stress...when relationships are struggling and there's not enough money to make ends meet...when sickness and death threaten us or those we love...when all seems hopeless....
We need to hold on to what we know is true...even though we may not be able to see it at the moment...We need to hold on to our faith. We must let go of ourselves or anyone else we're hanging on to and grab hold tight to the hand of God.
The evil one knows that faith is what protects are heart (I'm not talking about our eternal soul, saved by grace through Jesus Christ...I'm talking about what we believe) If we stop believing that God is who He says He is and that He can do and will do what He promises in his Word...we begin to lose heart...we begin to believe satan's lies to us...and we begin to lose faith in what we know is true. He attacks our faith...we doubt and lose hope.
The Bible is completely full of verses about faith...more than I can write. Story after story fills its pages of people that put their faith in God. When I allow my circumstances to flood my mind with all of the worries they tend to bring...I can lose sight of hope and goodness and joy.
In a picture the Lord gave me...it's like I am in a sinking boat filled to the brim with all of my fears, and worries and stresses. The wind is blowing and the waves are crashing all around me and water is pouring into the boat. But I am struggling, tossed to and fro, I can't keep my balance as I try to hold on to everything in the storm. Jesus is calling to me to jump out of the boat...his arms are open wide...I want to...but the waves look so rough and scary. I have no control over anything and some of my things in the boat have already washed over the side and fallen into the water.
Jesus keeps waiting for me...He is already saving some of the things that have fallen overboard...the water looks freezing and his boat looks so far away.
I look around me and let it go. The minute I jump into the swirling waves...He is there. His strong warm hands pull me up into the safety of his arms.
It is faith.
I just wouldn't want to be anywhere else but right there...in his arms.
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