Still

Jesus’ eleven disciples went to a mountain in Galilee, where Jesus had told them to meet him. They saw him and worshiped him, but some of them doubted.        Matthew 28:16-17 (CEV)

Faith. A vital element in my life as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Simple but not easy. Or is it too easy.

The writer of the book of Hebrews stated it well. Faith is being sure of what I hope for, with a certainty even when I cannot see any proof (Hebrews 11:1). It is a nebulous thing that can be difficult to “dial in” on a given situation. When I am unsure of what God wants me to do, is my faith “too weak”? When I feel that God is leading me to do something extraordinary, even outside my usual behavior, do I have a “great measure” of faith or am I just listening to my own “crazy idea”?

Biblegateway.com has a “Topical Index” in which you enter a word, like “faith”, and it brings up all the topical incidents in the Bible related to faith. There are many. But just reading over the first page gives me:

Noah building the ark

Abraham leaving his known land at God’s command

The offering of Isaac

Rahab helping the spies

Hannah dedicating Samuel

David striking down Goliath

David believing his kingdom would be a perpetual kingdom

These “witnesses” are the key to my walk of faith. It is this “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12) that extends their hands across time to guide me as I run my race and help me to reject the sin that threatens to cause me to stumble. The Accuser throws his lines of temptations and distractions so that I doubt and second-guess the voice of the Holy Spirit who is telling me the truth.

In Acts 1:4 and Luke 24:49 Jesus told His disciples to wait, to stay where they were until the Holy Spirit filled them with the power they would need to fulfill their missions. And there is a nugget of wisdom for me. When I am uncertain in my faith, stop and wait, ask for wisdom and faith. God is faith and He will give the measure that I need to hear Him. If I am open and willing to hear Him, He will respond.

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.           Psalm 27:14 (NIV)