I’ve been thinking a lot about faith (complete trust or confidence in someone
or something) lately. Faith seems
like it should be very important, and I guess it is- maybe- or should I say
depending on? Let me tell a little story to make my point.
* *
* * *
One month ago I woke up and saw the most
beautiful and perfect pumpkin on my table.
I don’t know how it got there but no one else lives with me and the
house was locked up, so it must have always been there? Anyway, it was such an amazing pumpkin that I
just had to exclaim its beauty over and over again. That didn’t seem enough for
its magnificence so I bowed down to pay it respect. Oh, what a flawless pumpkin!
The very next day I got a raise. It must have been because of the power of the
pumpkin so I thanked it. Now I give it
thanks for all that the money buys such as the food I eat. For its aid I bring it many gifts. When I have problems I pray to the pumpkin
and it helps me. Pumpkin is always there
for me. It never leaves me. I have complete faith in my beautiful and
perfect pumpkin.
* *
* * *
Sounds silly, doesn’t it? We all know that a pumpkin is not alive so it
cannot do anything. No matter how much
faith I have in the pumpkin, no good can come of it. My faith can be great or it can be little,
but either accomplishes nothing because of what I am placing my faith in. Pumpkin cannot hear my prayers, answer them
or love me. It is powerless to do
anything but decompose, and it can’t
even save itself.
In Jesus’ days a man brought his
possessed son to be healed by the disciples.
Now remember, the 12 had already been sent out to preach and do miracles
(Mt. 10:1,8) with Jesus’ power. They
failed to help the boy, so the man asked Jesus (Mt. 17:14 -16). Jesus
replied about the disciple’s faith:
…O faithless and
perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?... v.17
(Jesus rebuked the demon, it left, the child
was cured and the disciples wondered why
they failed.)
And Jesus said to
them, Because of your unbelief*. For truly I say to you, If you have faith like
a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to
there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to you. v.20 (*lack
of faith)
Jesus said all they need is the tiniest
bit of faith, small as a seed. I always
wondered about this because He seemed to comment on ‘great’ faith (Mt. 8:10 , 15:28 )
yet here He’s saying you only need a tiny bit.
Here’s what I’m thinking now.
Perhaps it doesn’t matter how much faith we have only who we have it in:
something dead like a pumpkin, a human bound to fail or the all seeing, all powerful
all knowing, God Almighty, Creator of the universe and Lord of all. Is He able?
YES!!!
For with God
nothing shall be impossible. Lk. 1:37
Is any thing too
hard for the LORD?... Gn. 18:14
Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any
thing too hard for me? Jr. 32:27
Notice it is the Lord speaking in the
last verse. Nothing is too hard or
impossible for Him since He can break even the ‘natural laws’ as He is the One
who set them into motion. So we need to
know deep down inside of us who He is
(not just about Him) and know Him more intensely every day. Those two stories of great faith above- to me
it seems they understood Jesus in a deeper way than most.
As a result of this thinking lately, I’m
going to stop questioning why my faith isn’t where it should be and focus on
knowing the One my faith is in. Perhaps
when I truly understand Him, the One who loves me beyond measure, I can say to
those rotting trees in my yard, “Be moved from this yard to the dump,” and it
shall be done. After all, it’s not my faith that makes it happen but
God’s power.
Tiny or great faith- even with or
without my faith, God can do as He pleases.
(Arthur W. Pink quote)
Subject to none, influenced by none, absolutely independent;
God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases. None can
thwart Him, none can hinder Him. So His own Word expressly declares:
"My
counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure"
Isa. 46:10…