By Faith

Faith.

The Christian life can be summed up in this one word. Faith. Yet how few of us demonstrate true faith.

The kind of faith that Gladys Always showed when she led 200 orphans on a six-week journey across the mountains.

The kind of faith that led George Muller to thank God for the food that he and his many orphans were about to eat, when barely a crumb could be found in the room.

The kind of faith which bade Amy Carmichael to risk her life that she might save young women and girls out of a life of temple prostitution.

The kind of faith Abraham had when he left his family and home and journeyed to a place he did not know of, in obedience to the leading of the Lord.

The kind of faith that Moses demonstrated when, refusing to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he forsook Egypt and led the children of Israel out of slavery.

What amazing faith these people demonstrated. How our measly faith shrinks in comparison.

These men and women “through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again” (Hebrews 11:33-35).

Talk about faith that moves mountains.

My heart swells with pride when I hear of men and women like this. Something stirs inside my soul. I want to be like that. I want to quench the violence of fire. I want to escape the edge of the sword. I want to valiantly risk my life for the sake of another.

And I can! These men were ordinary men and women, just like us. Consider this passage:

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (James 5:17-18).

Did you hear that? He was a man with a nature like ours. Yet the things that he accomplished are way beyond our wildest imaginings.

Yet that is what God wants to do in our lives! “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

What must we do to be spiritual giants like the men and women mentioned above? Have faith. Simple, right? Unfortunately, not as it ought to be. I recognize that in my own life. Just this past week, as I was relying on God to help me find a passage to study for this second semester, my faith faltered. I doubted that He would answer me.

Yet I believe the answer to a stronger faith, is a stronger knowledge of the King of kings. Believing that He is what He says He is, and standing on that promise. This week, when I was doubting that I would receive an answer from the Lord, I had forgotten that He was all-wise, and that He will answer when we call. I had forgotten that He loves to give good gifts to His children, and that His ways areso much higher than mine. I had forgotten that His timetable is different than mine. Oh, it’s not like my mind had forgotten, but my heart had. So, in order to have faith that can move mountains, we mustknow our God. Know that He is good and a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. We must be on our knees, seeking His face, seeking to know Him more. We must be in His Word, seeking to find the Savior who is written of therein. We must diligently seek Him, for He is a rewarder of those who seek Him passionately, with their whole heart.

Let us trust in Him with every bone in our body this week. He will reveal to us wisdom and understanding as we seek to understand His Word. He will answer our questions. He will lead us to still waters.  He will never leave us nor forsake us. Let’s put our faith on Him.