If you have been a part of the Christian community for any length of time, you know that “Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 KJV). Another version, says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV). If you have been a part of the Christian community for any length of time, you know that Faith has always been the mark of God’s servants, from the beginning of the world, and we know that where the principle is planted by the regenerating Spirit of God, it will cause truth to be received, based on the justification, sufferings, and merits of Christ’s sacrifice. What He has done, is the assurance that we can have, and it is in Him, whom our confidence lies. So, since we know this, why then do we sometimes doubt? Why is it that sometimes, we know; and sometimes we do not?!! It is rhetorical, and it is more of a question for me than you. Faith! How do I know it works? What is it that causes us to be firm in our “thinking,” and wavering in our stand? Today I had to come to terms with this again because I got some news that I did not necessarily like, and I found myself wondering…’Faith…. How Do I Know It Works? With all the evidence and proof that I have seen in my Christian Walk, and in my life in general, even without Christ, I feel that I should be at a place where the confidence that I have in Him, is without question. That thing breeds the question, ‘Am I trusting in Him, or Am I trusting in myself?’ It’s rhetorical; more of a question for me, than you. Because we do not live in a world unto ourselves, and we are part of a larger community, whether it be the Family of God, our own kinfolk, our lives will often overlap, and run into someone else’s, so that the trying of our faith is not limited to our own personal experiences, but theirs too. It could be that we are okay trusting God with our stuff …maybe; but when it comes to the lives of others or those that we are concerned about, does the faith works, there, too? Have you, ever wondered.?
My Big Momma (grandmother on my momma’s side) was a devout Christian woman based on what we knew about Christianity growing up in Alabama in the early 60s & 70s. She was a true missionary. She entrusted her entire life to Christ. Lord knows, she went to church all the time. Dressed the part. Sewed her own clothes. Paid her tithes. Took care of not only her children, but her children’s children, even dragging us (grands) to church, against our very strong will; and God knows she was a praying woman who loved her husband (who to my knowledge never darkened the door of a church). How I know faith works, is because today I am a devout Christian, and I believe it is because of the faith of Big Momma, to entrust us to the Lord. Aside from the fact that Jesus knew me, chose me, justified me before I was born, I believe that Big Momma held on to the conviction of things hoped for, and for that reason, I am saved today. Hallelujah! Big Momma did not live to see the evidence of her faith. She did not live to see the conversion of the many of us, her children and grandchildren, whose lives have been transformed.
When I got the news that my son had been downsized on his job, after 14 years of steady employment, I began to wonder if my faith would work, like my grandmother’s. Would it? When I got the news of a report concerning my daughter’s health, I began to wonder if my faith would work, like my grandmother’s. Would it have the same life-transforming effect? Would I live to see it? The same things that are the object of our hope are the object of our faith. It is a firm persuasion and expectation, that God will perform all he has promised to us in Christ Jesus. In faith, we can enjoy those things in the “now.” Faith is the guaranteed, proof to my mind, that I can believe what I cannot see, and may not live to see, because God has put His Word on the line. He is not a man that He can lie. I cannot see it, but by Faith, I believe that the situation concerning my son’s future is already set. It has already done. He sees this as an opportunity to pursue entrepreneurship, to start his own business; to be an owner and no longer an employee. I see missing paychecks and unpaid bills. I cannot see it, but by Faith, I believe that the situation concerning my daughter’s health is already done. She is confident that things will be alright, and she knows enough to entrust all things to God and not to worry.
I, the great woman of the faith like my grandmother, worry on one hand but pray on the other. I want things to be well for my children, and while I trust God with my stuff, I wonder if the same faith will take care of theirs. Truthfully, on some level, I feel like God owes me this one. That is not faith….is it? The Bible gives the most- true and exact account of the origin of all things, and we are called to believe it, and not to wrestle with a battle that is already won. Why do we struggle with “now faith,” when all that we see of the works of creation were brought into being by the command of God? It is rhetorical; and more for me than for you?
Submitted By Deaconess Irene Gardon