By Faith
“By faith” is written over 25 times in Hebrews chapter 11. “By faith” is woven into every sentence of the 3,000 years or so of history in the Bible. And not just in the Bible, but in every circumstance of our life.
In the Gospel of Luke, as the disciples are with Jesus on a boat in the midst of a storm, Luke tells us that Jesus asks the disciples a simple and pointed question: “Where is your faith?” They had taken their eyes off Him; they didn’t trust Him in the midst of the storm.
In light of this question by Jesus, let me ask you: where is your faith right now? In the Gospel of Mark we see Jesus have an encounter with a young dad who is in a storm – his son is sick. The dad asks Jesus to heal his son, to which Jesus responds, “If you believe, I will heal him.” The dad responds, “I believe, help me with my unbelief.” Do you know what Jesus did? He healed this man’s son, even though this man didn’t have perfect faith. Upon the man’s authentic confession, Jesus brings His kingdom into this man’s family. Jesus said, “The faith of a mustard seed can move a mountain.” Where is your faith? Those who have gone before us, in the midst of life’s storms, said this: “Fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of your faith.” Where is your faith?
My working definition of faith is this: true faith is obedience to God’s prompting through His Word in spite of the circumstances and consequences. It is not blind optimism or a manufactured “hope-so” feeling. Neither is it an intellectual assent to a doctrine. It is certainly not believing in spite of evidence, because I believe we have evidence. We not only have creation, our conscience, the testimony of Scripture, or the testimony of those who have lived before us by faith – we have Jesus. We have the person, the message, and the life of Jesus. He is alive. He is working. He is in authority. He has a sovereign plan. He is almighty. He is stronger than anything and everything.
Jesus is alive and in the midst of the storms of life. Within a fallen world, He is working. He has invited us to be a part of His mission, His work. He is not done with us. He is calling us to have faith.
May God our Father continue to show us that He is faithful. May Jesus continue to give us more faith in Him, and may the Holy Spirit cause us to be a “by faith” people. May He do immeasurably more through us.