Evidence of Faith

"The Jews replied,

'It has taken forty-six years to build this temple,

and you are going to raise it in three days?'

But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

After he was raised from the dead,

his disciples recalled what he had said.

Then they believed the Scripture 

and the words that Jesus had spoken."

John 2:20-22

When a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it still make a sound?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Why am I here?

Some questions makes us think.  Others stimulate deep reflection and inner scrutiny.  One such question is, "What is faith?"  We know the definition of faith as given in Hebrews 11:1.  "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

But how do I know if my faith is real?  I do believe that God is in control of all things and that He directs my footsteps when I submit myself to Him, but how do I know my faith is authentic and not just so many words?  Where is the evidence?

Jesus often said, "Oh you of little faith" to those who knew him best: His disciples.  He said it when they were in the boat tossed around by the waves, (Matthew 8:26) when Peter walked on the water but then began to sink (Matthew 14:31), and when the disciples didn't understand Jesus' warning of the dangers of believing in the Pharisee's teachings (Matthew 16:8).  The disciples knew Jesus, trusted Him enough to leave their livelihoods and follow Him, yet were told their faith was lacking. 

The proof that my faith is real is manifested in my actions, not my words.  Faith without works is dead.  (James 2:17)  I show that my faith is real by what I do, not what I say or believe.  If I truly trust God, my life will look different that those whose faith is not authentic.

Obedience without Foresight

He gathered the materials according to the detailed blueprint.  His whole family joined in the project, working together to accomplish the mission.  The structure was massive and garnered the attention of many.

"Watcha' building, huh?  Some kind of boat?  I hate to tell you, but there's no water for miles around!  What a fool!"

The rumors spread. "He's crazy!  Have you heard about his wife?  She's as loony as he is!  She must be to put up with that mess.  Whose ever heard of such a thing?"

Years past by and the man grew older, but the ridicule never ended.  He was tempted to doubt, wondering if God really knew what He was talking about.  What is the plan?  A hundred years have gone by and I've never seen a drop of rain.  What if I was wrong and God didn't really tell me to build an ark?  

Still, Noah stayed faithful and obeyed despite his lack of understanding, his narrow vision, and shortsightedness.  He didn't know how it would all turn out, but he trusted that God knew.  But he didn't let his faith stop at words or beliefs.  Instead, he turned them into action in the form of obedience.

God is calling me to do something. He has put a burden on my heart for a hurting person or group of people.  He has convicted me of an area of sin.  He has prompted me to turn a corner and begin a new thing.  What I do next tells me everything I need to know about the validity of my faith.

If I reach out to comfort and encourage without knowing how I'll be received, my faith is real.  If I turn away from that sin despite my flesh fighting against that decision, my faith is true.  If I take a risk and step into the light of the new thing God is doing, my faith is authentic.

The proof that my faith exists is revealed in my willingness to obey without knowing the details, seeing the big picture, or perceiving the outcome.

Perseverance despite Discouragement

Won't these people ever get it?  They are a hard-headed bunch!  They have seen God deliver them, save them and provide for them, yet they refuse to stay true to God.  Why do I even try?

Moses was the one called to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and through a journey that included 40 years of wandering in the desert.  He was considered to be a friend of God  (Exodus 33:11), but did not get to see the promised land because of his disobedience on the occasion of drawing water from the rock of Meribah.(Numbers 20:12)

Moses kept faithful to God throughout years of complaining, bickering and grumbling.  Even when it seemed no one else cared, Moses continued pointing people to God.  It must have been discouraging to be surrounded by people just like you and me!  I am easily drawn into negative thinking about my circumstances.

When I am working on a mission or project, I am easily discouraged by a lack of results.  Maybe that's why I like mowing the lawn.  As I circle around the yard, I see the effect of my effort: The grass begins to look neat and trimmed.  But life in general is not this way.  I clean the dishes only to turn around for a moment and find another sink-full of soiled plates and cups.  I teach a lesson only to have to reinforce it again and again, wondering if the young mind will ever absorb the message.  I fill the tank up with gas only to see the needle move toward empty a few days later. Does anything I ever do stay done?

I can take heart and remember that God is at work even when I can't see the evidence.  When He places me in a position, no matter how small or inconsequential it may seem, it means a lot to God.  Keeping my eyes on Him when everything around me seems hopeless is proof of that my faith is genuine.

The proof that my faith exists is manifested in my ability to persevere despite the lack of encouraging works, evidence of changed lives, or even a vision of God's greater purpose.

Hopes beyond all Hope

She planned her life.  She desired to live a life pleasing to God, above all things.  Her family had promised her to an upstanding young man.  Then came the news.  She was pregnant.  The angel told her this would happen, but what would everyone say?  How would they treat her?  How could she ever hold her head high again?

Mary was chosen to carry the Christ child.  Despite the fact that she played a pivotal role in history, it came at great sacrifice to her own personal life.  An unmarried  pregnant woman of that time would have been considered to be an outcast.  Mary and Joseph knew the truth of God's plan, but no one else did apart from her cousin Elizabeth.  

The faith of Mary propelled her forward as she hoped against all hope in the One True God and His plan.  Many times my life looks crazy compared to the lives of those around me.  The decisions I make look reckless and foolish.  I seem to be dancing to the beat of my own drummer.

My faith, however, is shown to be real when I follow God's calling even if it makes me look like a fool in my community.  My faith is demonstrated as valid when I stay true to the narrow, rocky path God leads me on even when it passes by the edge of a dangerous precipice.  My faith is shown as authentic when I keep hoping in God's way even when everyone else is going a different direction.

The proof that my faith exists is manifested in my motivation to keep hope alive even when the odds are against me, it's never been done this way before, or I look different than everyone else.

Faith that is real doesn't need evidence.  Instead, faith that is authentic exists despite the lack of miracles, healings or other spectacular feats.  I know that my faith is real only by examining my actions.  When I obey despite the lack of foresight, persevere even though I'm discouraged, and hope beyond all hope, then my actions are proving my faith. This is the evidence of faith.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God despite what I see with my eyes.

How do I trust my senses more than I trust God?

When am I so discouraged that I give up?

Why?

 “'About Jesus of Nazareth,' they replied.

'He was a prophet,

powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.  The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 

but we had hoped that he was the one

who was going to redeem Israel.

And what is more,

it is the third day since all this took place.'"

Luke 24:19-21

Have you ever thought you knew what God was doing in a certain situation only to be completely confused when things didn't go the way you had expected?

This has happened to me.  Not because I think I'm so smart as to know the mind of God.  Rather, I like to know why I am doing things.  This desire leads me to ask God, "Why?" 

It's like the time we were looking for a house with which to expand our afterschool program.  As we drove through our neighborhood one day, a house which had been on the market for at least 2 years beckoned us to come with it's door standing wide open.  We interpreted that to mean this was the house for our program!  We rejoiced and began taking steps toward purchasing, trusting that God would provide the funding.

We spent much time praying over that house, at God's direction.  We prayed for all the children whose lives would be changed under that roof.  Then we prayed for a way to purchase it.  Finally came the day when the Realtor told me she had a buyer.  I trusted that God had a plan.  The family moved in and I was confused.  Things hadn't gone the way I expected.

A few months later I met a woman up at our neighborhood pool.  After talking for a few minutes, I realized she was the one who had moved into the home we had been praying over.  She and her husband had adopted two children and were raising four in all.  I stood in awe as she told me how she invited children in for story time and how they were always looking for ways to reach kids for Jesus.  It was then that I understood and I tearfully told her that we had been praying for her for months before they moved into their home.  The house was not for us, but it was being used for God's Kingdom just as much as it would have been with our afterschool program.

Instead of asking, "Why?"  I need to ask, "Who?"  And the answer to that question is always, "God."  I need to trust God for the answers.

Suffering Woman

She had been bleeding for years. . . .twelve to be exact, and no one had ever been able to help her. In fact, all of the experts had only made the bleeding worse.   But this Jesus of Nazareth. . .He was different.  She knew deep within her heart that He could heal her, if only she could get to Him.  So many people pressed around Him, vying for His attention.  She need only touch Him. . . even the hem of His garment. . . and she would be free from this affliction.  She knew this as much as she knew that the sun would rise each day. 

The woman with the issues of blood possessed deep faith in Jesus.  She didn't care to know why she was suffering.   She didn't bother to ask, "Why me?"  Instead, she came to the One who could truly help her.  She trusted that He was the ultimate remedy.  All she needed was Jesus.

This is why Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”  (Mark 5:34)

Trusting Jesus means believing He is the only remedy needed to free me from any problem.  I need not understand, I only need faith enough to leave the details to Him.

Healing at the Pool of Bethesda

Albert Einstein is credited with saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again yet expecting different results.  I'm not sure if the poor fellow who spent his days at the pool near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem could be diagnosed with insanity, but he sure did not give up! 

The man in question had been disabled for 38 years, and it can be assumed that he had spent quite a number of his days at the pool of Bethesda where angels are said to have stirred the waters from time to time, giving the first person who entered the waters instant healing.  He had lain there year after year, hoping to one day be the first to enter the freshly stirred waters, but never having anyone to help him get there fast enough.  He never gave up hope in the healing properties of this pool.

Then came Jesus, his only real hope, if only the suffering man had known.  But no matter. . . Jesus healed him despite the man's ignorance of His identity as the Son of God whose power could change a mortal's life with a mere word.   

Unlike the woman healed by touching the hem of Jesus' robe, this man did not know Jesus, and never expected healing to come from anywhere besides the pool.  He was putting all his faith in those waters and the angels that stirred them.  

How often do I go after things that I think will help me, only to be disappointed by the outcome.  Doing things my way without giving God a chance to bring healing will always frustrate me. 

Trusting Jesus means going directly to Him with my issues. My hope lies in Him and Him alone.  I am reminded in Lamentations 3:25 that, "The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him."

Disciples

  

The One they had left everything to follow had been brutally killed, was dead and buried.  All there hope was gone.  What kind of a Savior was He with all His talk of coming to save the world and all?  Dead men are able to save no one.

Or so they thought.  Little did the disciples know that God had a plan that included the crucifixion of Christ as a way to atone for their sins.  Little did they know that Jesus had risen from the dead and was speaking to them at their greatest point of despair.  Little did they know that they had already been saved.

Circumstances can blind me to the reality of God's plan.  Things seem hopeless.  Despair sets in.  But underneath it all is a tapestry of great beauty.  The disciples did not understand the purpose for all the suffering their Friend and Teacher had endured.  But there was a purpose.

Trusting Jesus means believing He has a plan, even when I don't see it.

It's easy for me to think I have things all figured out.  But trusting Jesus means leaving behind my desire to understand "why?" and instead letting Him handle the details.  It means placing all my hope in Him, and believing He has a plan in all things, no matter how hopeless it seems. 

Trusting God means never asking, "Why?"

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I can trust Jesus with the plan that lies beneath the mess of my life.

When do I place all my trust in other things instead of leaving it all in Jesus' hands?

What am I expecting to happen that has nothing to do with God's plan and instead has everything to do with mine?