Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. Hebrews 11:1-2 (NIV)
Faith is being sure of unseen realities. It is trusting the known God with the unknown future. We fret over much of which we have absolutely no control. Wringing our hands and taking our Tums, we worry and fuss over things of which we are told to place in the Master’s Hands – Who is entirely in control, BTW. Casting our cares upon Him because we know that He loves and cares for us. And it is His desire for us to take the next logical step by faith – whatever that may look like. Rarely (if ever) does one receive the entire picture or know the end from the beginning, Amen? Yet, as we walk with Him, trusting in His all-powerful hands, we can rest secure in Him.
Scripture tells each one of us to come to Jesus – however we are – in whatever state we may find ourselves in. Those weary and burdened – those frightened and confused – those tired and sick – those busy, busy, busy and all else - and He will give us rest. We are to be much with the Lord Jesus. We do ourselves a great disservice when we are not. Enjoy His communion and presence. When we undervalue Christ Jesus in our lives we open ourselves up to the adversary of our souls – as well as to our selfish ambitions and vain conceits - and we don’t want to go there. When God is our all in all, Satan has little ammunition to use against us. As the Baptist stated in John 3:30 (NIV): “He must become greater, I must become less.” When we love our Master more and more we discover we love our sins, less and less because they break communion with Him. This is walking day by day in faith BTW. We are told in Psalm 84:11-12 (NIV): “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.”
A great anacronym for FAITH is Forsaking All I Trust Him. Our trust is not to be in wealth or talents or duties or beauty or whatever our Delilah’s may be, rather it is to be in God. He is the One on the throne and not us. And God never fails those whose eyes look up to Him and whose hearts place their hopes in Him. Remember, His Name is a strong and mighty tower and we can cast our cares upon His all-sufficient shoulders. Our souls were saved not by a Monarch sitting on a throne but by a selfless and perfect Savior hanging on a cross. Salvation comes only through faith in the Perfect King Who died for His imperfect people. There is no redemption but by His blood.
Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 (NIV)