Faith is not as some people describe to be a 'blind leap,' or acting out on a wish. Faith is not random, nor is it a magic potion that causes great things to occur. Faith does not bring about miracles, instead faithful responses make us candidates to receive those miracles. Faith develops as we abide in Christ and our certainty of and intimacy in him deepens. We gain a better understanding of the world around us as we begin to see it, and the people we live with, in a new way. We see them in a way that is 'unseen.'
Because we are sure of our life to come and the goodness that God wishes to display in the life we have now, and because our intimate walk with Jesus results in certainties we cannot simply prove, we act in those realities. We act in faith. We have, and act, in faith every day of our lives. We have faith that the road we are on will not come to an abrupt end without a sign warning us about it. We have faith in doctors as they prescribe things to us. These are things we cannot foresee, and we have at least some assurance in driving and visiting the doctor.
God wishes for the same, and even deeper faith as we abide in him. Just as we learn this faith in our road systems by many miles of driving, and just as we trust our doctors because of previous experience with the medical field, God wants us to abide in him first until we are able to step out in those things that may not make sense to those around us, but we do them because we are certain of Him. We learn faith over time as we learn about the character and nature of God.
You see, faith is not whimsical. It does not call us to silly acts just so we might 'practice faith.' Faith is a result of living out a life with Jesus long enough to know that we can have great trust in Him when the circumstances tell us we cannot continue on. Faith is not dreaming up a dream 'for God' and boldly charging forward. Faith does not always result in our own desired outcomes, but we are sure of a greater hope that goes beyond anything we can fathom.
Comments