"Just what is faith?" he said. Don’t tell me it’s hoping for things
not seen.
I know that, but I need someone to tell me
what having faith really means."
With a quick prayer to God, to ask help and remove sadness from his
eye,
came to my mind an unusual answer and a
most thought provoking reply.
"The Scriptures say we walk by faith. I don’t think that is a figure
of speech.
I think it’s an absolute truth. For
walking, for talking or things we reach.
For we do all those things so often, that we simply take them for
granted.
Not giving them a single thought. Just
doing them, not having planned it.
That is a big secret required of faith. Though most do not understand.
For us to accomplish things by faith
requires the same sort of command.
Jesus said we could move a mountain if we had the faith of a mustard
seed.
He said faith is the fuel for heavenly
power. Every blessing, miracle or deed.
He said we could say to the sycamine tree, ‘Be plucked up and
planted in the sea,’
and so it would be, if we had simple faith.
Just simple faith, you and me.
In the Old Testament there are stories, some of the most amazing ever
told.
Of prophets who had incredible faith and
took actions; exceptionally bold.
There is a story about Elijah who before the idolatrous priests of
Baal,
asked them to prove the strength of their
god; knowing their god would fail.
Each sacrificed a young bullock on equal alters with equal amounts
of wood.
Then the priests of Baal began to shout and
pray while Elijah simply stood.
As the day wore on and the priests shouted and prayed, Elijah
laughingly said,
‘Pray louder! Maybe your god can’t hear you
or maybe he’s even dead!’
Elijah told them, ‘On mine pour 4 buckets water. Then pour it 3 times
more.’
Then he continued to mock the priests and
laugh as he had done before.
Finally proving their god had no power, nor was their god even
real,
Elijah called down the fire of Heaven and
it consumed his alter with zeal.
Now the question is, did the Lord tell Elijah to do and say all those
things?
Or did the Lord simply back up Elijah
because of the power, faith brings?
There is a story about Elisha and Naaman when Naaman came to be
healed.
The Syrian captain who sought out Elisha
and for a blessing he appealed.
But Elisha would not even come out of his tent and sent his servant
instead.
‘Tell Naaman to go wash in the Jordan seven
times.’ That’s all Elisha said.
Naaman immediately became angry, saying, ‘Is this all a prophet has to
say?’
But when Naaman finally did as Elisha said,
his leprosy went totally away.
Now the question is, did the Lord tell Elisha to do and say all those
things?
Or did the Lord simply back up Elisha
because of the power, faith brings?
So too, the story of the brother of Jared, who went to the Lord and
said,
‘Oh Lord, it’s so dark in those barges!
Please give us light’ he plead.
And the Lord came before him and said, ‘What will though have me do?’
‘Oh Lord, if thou will touch these stones,
they will shine through and through.’
‘Interesting! There is much evidence suggesting believers are
allowed discretion
and that the Lord will back them up in
their word, their action and decision.’
‘Yes! ...Then too is the story of Moses who performed one miracle
after another.
For the blessing of the Israelite people
and for the convincing of their brother.
Now, we know that Moses spoke with God, the sacred Scriptures record
this.
But there’s only a few times of face to
face contact, unless the record is amiss.
There is more record of conversation but the question is how and in
what way?
Did Moses hear the speaking voice of the
Lord? Loud and clear each day?
Or did the Lord’s voice come soft and low? As an impression to his
heart?
For if it was loud and clear, then there
was no need for faith on his part.
So perhaps the next question is; does a believer need more faith or
less?
That certainly is an interesting question.
One we each should address.
The believers said and did much. Did the Lord tell them each and every
thing?
Or did the Lord give the believers
impressions that came to their inner being?
We too receive those inner impressions and we are given the
discretion to ask;
if the Lord will help us and back us up in
our words, our blessings or task.
If He tells us He will, if we believe we can, it will be said of us as
it was of them,
‘My, they were great believers, weren’t
they! They were bold, courageous men.
Now the question is, did the Lord tell them to do and say all those
things?
Or did the Lord simply back them up because
of the power, faith brings?"