The definition of faith
Posted in faith, Misti's Posts 1 comments
"The opposite of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith is proof." A friend of mine quoted these words (I know not from where) during a group meeting last week.
I used to think that doubt was a sin. I thought If I didn't believe in God and His promises at all times, with my whole heart, that I wasn't truly saved. As followers of Jesus, we are supposed to trust Him with everything, and not worry about anything, right? Well, maybe there is hope for us worry-warts after all.
First of all, Jesus' own disciples didn't fully understand Him. There are so many stories in the Gospels of how they struggled with envy, pride, and a me-first attitude. They disbelieved Jesus' words and doubted His power. How can we, 2000 years later and far removed from the physical person of Jesus, expect to do any better?
Then there were the recipients of His miracles. In Mark chapter 9, Jesus encounters a man whose child is possessed. Some of His disciples had attempted to exorcise the demon, but without success. The man pleads with Jesus, "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." " 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes."
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" v. 22b-24
Those words are like a cry directly from my heart: 'Help me overcome my unbelief!' I look at the world around me, I experience stressful circumstances in my life, and I struggle to let go and trust God. So many of us go through this; and we think that God has abandoned us.
The Lord put me through a time of testing a couple years back. Many months went by in my life where I couldn't feel God near me. Doubts didn't just creep in; they flooded over me. I found myself praying, "God, if you really exist, reveal yourself to me." No response. The funny thing I didn't realize for the longest time was that, although I claimed to not know whether God was actually real, I was still praying to Him, still talking to Him on a daily basis. I was crying out (on a Davidic scale) to a God I doubted.
God tells us He will never leave us. When we follow Him closely and pursue His ways and purposes, our faith in that promise grows. But as we think on the fact that proof, not doubt, is the opposite of faith, we must realize that uncertainty will come over us from time to time. It is in those moments we must cry out in prayer to God: "Help me overcome my unbelief!"
I used to think that doubt was a sin. I thought If I didn't believe in God and His promises at all times, with my whole heart, that I wasn't truly saved. As followers of Jesus, we are supposed to trust Him with everything, and not worry about anything, right? Well, maybe there is hope for us worry-warts after all.
First of all, Jesus' own disciples didn't fully understand Him. There are so many stories in the Gospels of how they struggled with envy, pride, and a me-first attitude. They disbelieved Jesus' words and doubted His power. How can we, 2000 years later and far removed from the physical person of Jesus, expect to do any better?
Then there were the recipients of His miracles. In Mark chapter 9, Jesus encounters a man whose child is possessed. Some of His disciples had attempted to exorcise the demon, but without success. The man pleads with Jesus, "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." " 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes."
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" v. 22b-24
Those words are like a cry directly from my heart: 'Help me overcome my unbelief!' I look at the world around me, I experience stressful circumstances in my life, and I struggle to let go and trust God. So many of us go through this; and we think that God has abandoned us.
The Lord put me through a time of testing a couple years back. Many months went by in my life where I couldn't feel God near me. Doubts didn't just creep in; they flooded over me. I found myself praying, "God, if you really exist, reveal yourself to me." No response. The funny thing I didn't realize for the longest time was that, although I claimed to not know whether God was actually real, I was still praying to Him, still talking to Him on a daily basis. I was crying out (on a Davidic scale) to a God I doubted.
God tells us He will never leave us. When we follow Him closely and pursue His ways and purposes, our faith in that promise grows. But as we think on the fact that proof, not doubt, is the opposite of faith, we must realize that uncertainty will come over us from time to time. It is in those moments we must cry out in prayer to God: "Help me overcome my unbelief!"
1 comments:
Good stuff Misti! Everybody doubts, it's part of our nature. God knows this and He is there every step of the way. I love the quote; I wonder who said it.
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