Feat of Faith

"'Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,'" Jesus told him,

'you will never believe.'

The royal official said,

'sir, come down before my child dies.'

Jesus replied, 'you may go.  Your son will live.'

The man took Jesus at his word and departed.

While he was still on the way,

his servants met him with the news that his boy was living.

When he inquired as to the time when his son got better,

they said to him,

'The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.'

Then the father realized that this was the exact time

at which Jesus had said to him,

'Your son will live.'

So he and all his household believed."

John 4:48-53

We live in a skeptical world where someone is always trying to sell me something.  Either it's a salesman attempting to woo me over the phone, a member of a cult ringing my doorbell and seeking to convince me that their way is the true way, or a political candidate portraying themselves as the best man or woman for the job.   I have to admit, with this much persuasion and manipulation going on around me, I have become suspicious of anyone who seems to be trying to sell me a bill of goods.

For this reason, it really is a feat of faith for me to trust God at His word.  I know of His trustworthiness, I've experienced the power of His hand in my own life, and I do believe He is able to do more than I ask or imagine.  The problem is in my suspicious nature; my I'll-believe-it-when-I-see-it kind of attitude.

As a follower of Jesus, though, I need to find a way to abandon my skepticism and wholeheartedly embrace His teachings.  In order for God to be glorified in my life, I must take Him at His word.

Go Forth

God said the word and Noah started building. (Genesis 6)  God gave the command and Abraham left the land of his father and began a journey to an unknown place. (Genesis 12) God spoke from a burning bush, and after some reassurance, Moses set off to speak to the Pharaoh about releasing the Israelites from the bondage of slavery. (Exodus 3-4)  The Bible is filled with accounts of men and women who heard the message of God and acted in obedience by faith.

I can say I trust in Jesus as my Savior and believe that with Him all things are possible, but if I'm afraid to speak the truth that He puts on my heart for fear of offending someone, then my faith is not authentic.

I can say that He is my strength when I am weak yet fail to answer the calling God has on my life because I just can't see myself doing that mission, then I'm betraying my lack of faith.

I can say that I am forgiven by the blood of Jesus but if I refuse to forgive myself or let go of the attitude of self-loathing I've cultivated over the years, then I'm revealing my belief that the blood of Jesus is not powerful enough to cover my sins.

Just as the royal official in today's scripture passage took Jesus at His word, going home when Jesus said his son would live, I too can take Him at His word.  When Jesus said our Father in heaven knows our needs and will provide, I can trust Him enough to go about my day without a thought to what I will eat or how I will pay the bills.  I have a Father who takes care of me, freeing me to put my whole attention toward His calling.

It reminds me of a story that was published in the April 9th, 1997 edition of USA Today.  The article extolled the virtues of an Automated Highway System that would use sensors, computer navigation systems and cameras alongside the road to control steering, acceleration and braking in highly congested areas. Drives would simply sit back and go along for the ride. While this scheme may relieve traffic issues, the one challenge remained in convincing people to comfortably trust the system.  It's hard to give control over to a computer.

While I could think of countless ways in which a computer could foul things up, the God who created me and all of the universe, is perfect in every way.  If I'm afraid to take a step to follow Him, it's not because He won't be a good leader, but rather that I'm not a faithful follower.

Taking Jesus at His word means I will go forth in faith, leaving the outcome in His hands.

Believe

I used to read a lot of books about UFO's and extra-terrestrial visits.  I believed all that stuff because I saw the testimonies people gave and it seemed to add up.  I never witnessed any events of my own so my faith was based entirely on what I read.

In the case of Jesus, my faith was given to me and is being matured as I walk with Him.  (Hebrews 12:2)  Even though I have not seen Jesus personally, I know He exists because God has drawn me to Him as my Savior (John 6:44) and I have witnessed the fruit of His Spirit when I walk with Him.  (Galatians 5:22-23)

After Jesus died on the cross and came back to life on the third day, He appeared before many people.  Thomas, one of His twelve disciples, said he would only believe it when he could feel for himself the wounds that came from the crucifixion.  When Jesus appeared and Thomas then believed, the risen Savior said, ". . .blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29b)

For me this means I will be called blessed when I continue believing good will come out of the struggles even though I receive no encouragement or sign that it will come to pass.  It also means that my faith will not waver even when I labor long and hard without seeing any fruit.  it certainly means that I'll stay on the narrow path even though it looks like I'm getting nowhere.

America's first missionary, Adoniram Judson, first went to India in 1812 before moving to Burma the following year.  It would be six years, however, before he saw anyone accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  For half-a-dozen long years he labored, never seeing any results for all of his efforts.  How could he know if what he was teaching was getting through if no one took him at his word?

Taking Jesus at His word means I will believe without seeing any fruit, results or noticing a change in the lives of those to whom I'm ministering.

Do

By the time a college student reaches her third year of school, she should have declared a major.  Knowing the degree one is working toward provides a blueprint to follow as the student chooses classes over the remaining years of her college career. Similarly, it is much easier to make choices in life when I know the master plan.

Things in God's kingdom, however, are different.  God is the One with the design for my life.  (Jeremiah 29:11) If I am going to follow Him, I cannot go by what I think is best, but must realize that God's ways are higher than my ways (Isaiah 55:8-9), or as Abraham Lincoln said in his Second Inaugural Address, "The Almighty has His own purposes."

If I am determined to do what God is calling me to do, though, I will soon realize that not only are His ways different from what I would have chosen to do, but I also will need to learn to blindly follow Him.  He does not reveal every detail of the plan before I take my first step.  And there comes the rub: Faith means doing what God says even though I can't see the big picture or the final result.

The good thing about following Jesus without being able to see the path in front of me is that He gets all the glory.  Oswald Chambers pointed out that, "We give credit to human wisdom when we should give credit to the Divine guidance of God through childlike people who were foolish enough to trust God's wisdom and the supernatural equipment of God."

It's foolish to heed His call and move to another country without any idea of where the support will come.  It's foolish to quit one's job at God's direction without having another one lined up.  It's foolish to take in a toddler after the biological children are all self-sufficient.  What's foolish to the world is wise and loving to God.  (1 Corinthians 1:18-19)

Following God without understanding the details is an example of faith in action.  When I take this kind of step of faith, I am assuring that all people will see my good works and praise my Father in heaven.  (Matthew 5:16)  There is no better way to let my light shine!

Taking Jesus at His word means I will obey without understanding, trusting that He is taking care of the details.

It is a feat of faith for me to go forward simply at His word, believe without seeing, and do without knowing the whole plan.  When I do so, however, I am demonstrating a genuine trust in My Lord and Savior.  I am showing with my actions that I believe He is the Master Planner.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will trust without seeing.

How do I require at least a smidgen of understanding of a mission before I'll commit to it?

When do I fail to listen to God and instead do what I think is best?