Wishful thinking. Hoping for the best. Unrealistic expectations. Pie in the sky dreams. Those who don't know God may use words like these to describe faith.
What is your definition of faith?
For many of those familiar with Scripture, the words of Hebrews chapter 11, verse 1 come to mind:
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (NIV)
If you're not familiar with the Bible you may be thinking, "Huh?"
We all have a need for faith. We all (whether we admit it or not) have a deep-seated need to know:
1. God exists. There really is a Creator with a grand design. Nothing and no one happens by chance. You are not an accident or a fluke of nature.
2. God loves me. God is not out to do you in or set you up to fail. He's not keeping track to see if you mess up more than you get it right. He has your best interests in mind regardless of how things might look at the moment.
3. God can do the impossible. If you could comprehend everything God is capable of, what kind of God would He be? He can do far more that we could ever ask or imagine.
If you're not familiar with the Bible you may be thinking, "Huh?"
We all have a need for faith. We all (whether we admit it or not) have a deep-seated need to know:
1. God exists. There really is a Creator with a grand design. Nothing and no one happens by chance. You are not an accident or a fluke of nature.
2. God loves me. God is not out to do you in or set you up to fail. He's not keeping track to see if you mess up more than you get it right. He has your best interests in mind regardless of how things might look at the moment.
3. God can do the impossible. If you could comprehend everything God is capable of, what kind of God would He be? He can do far more that we could ever ask or imagine.
To describe faith another way:
"Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen." (HCSB)
This verse illustrates the benefits that come from using more than one Bible translation. I never thought I'd switch allegiances, but more and more I'm appreciating the accuracy and clarity of the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB).
In my experience, there's a big difference between "being sure" and reality. Looking out my window I can be sure it's a beautiful day because I see green grass and blooming flowers illuminated by the brilliant sunshine, but the reality of today is that the cold wind cut through me like a knife!
There are a lot of human elements to "being sure," but reality is, well, reality. "Reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined...reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible." (Wikipedia)
Faith is the reality that God exists, that He loves each one of us and He can do what seems to us to be impossible. Faith begins by accepting the Bible is God's love letter to us and everything in it is true because that's the reality.
Lord, thank you for allowing me to understand that faith does not rely on my understanding, which can change like shifting shadows, but that faith is based on your reality. It's comforting to know that regardless of how crazy life might seem, You have it all under control!
Lisa
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Hey...sounds familiar....it was fun talking about this last week with you and you worded it so well here again!! God has been speaking to me about being thankful and not just about the things in my life that I understand to be good....but in all things, because He works all things out for good, that is reality. He loves me through all circumstances. I need to have faith that this is reality. So when I start to complain...I need to turn that to thanksgiving because He is in control! This blog just helps me to make that a reality!! Thanks Lisa