Common Word, Uncommon Meaning

We use words every day until they become common to us, not valuing their meaning. One of those words is, faith. Faith is an enigma and its meaning elusive. It is hard to define and harder still to practice, but is an essential essence of life. We have faith in common things every day - driving our car, believing the brakes and all the vital parts will operate safely; drinking water out of the faucet, believing it is not poisonous; etc.

We cannot live without faith nor can we please God without faith. Our walk with our Father has to be by faith, not by sight. In Hebrews 11, the Word tells us that faith is "perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses." Faith is not a "feeling" but a "knowing." Because God said it, I believe it and that settles it. Faith is a choice - with our will we choose to believe what God has said. When we make that choice, there comes a certainty, a confidence, a knowing and a peace that God is faithful to His Word and our answer is on the way. We must just wait with patience, hope with endurance and rejoice in the forthcoming answer.

Faith and trust are the heart and feet of the Christian life. Trust is putting our faith to work. Faith is believing in the One Who is faithful. Trust is leaning (committing), with all our being on the One in Whom we have believed. Like the story of the tight-rope walker who walked across Niagara Falls several times on a tight rope. After several trips across and back, he asked the spectators if anyone believed he could push a wheel barrel across the falls. After many gasps from the onlookers one brash young man stepped up and said he believed he could push a wheel barrel across Niagara Falls on a tight- rope. With astonished looks from the audience and a smile from the tight-rope walker, he brandished the wheel barrel, stepped to the end of the tight-rope, turned to the young man and said, "If you really have faith in me to push this wheel barrel across this rope, then get in the wheel barrel and show your trust." Of course the young man didn't have faith in the tight-rope walker's ability enough to trust his life to him in such a dangerous situation to keep him safe.

Unlike this young man, we can completely trust our life, with all of its difficult and tangled situations, to a God "Who is able to keep us from falling and present us faultless before His presence with exultant joy." He is El Ohim, the faithful, covenant keeping God! He is El Elyon, the Creator and King of Kings! He is El Shaddai, the Almighty, all sufficient God! He is Adonai, the Master, Sovereign Lord! He is Jehovah (YHWH), the self-existent One Who reveals Himself! Drink Him in, savor His character, taste and see that the Lord is good! Ps. 100!

To have real life is to have faith (believe) and trust in this One and Only, JESUS!