All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. (Hebrews 11:13 NIV)
I love reading stories about faith, from Noah to Smith Wigglesworth to Heidi Baker. These stories are from different times and places but in all of these stories people put their faith in God and God shows up and does amazing things. The faith of these people is strong and alive and vibrant. These stories stir up my faith and encourage me to believe God for miracles and other amazing things to happen.
But there are other stories. Stories from my life and probably yours as well. Times when I was certain God was going to heal, full of faith he would deliver and . . . nothing. Stories of hundreds of years as slaves to the Egyptians. Stories of Mother Theresa not feeling God's presence.
There is a faith in these stories too. It may not look as bold and alive and vibrant as the faith in the stories where God shows up miraculously, but it is there. It is a faith that despite disappointment, despite doubt keeps smoldering. It is a faith that says, no matter what happens or does not happen I trust God. God is good. God is good even if my prayer is unanswered.
Some people have a problem with this. They say that if you have faith you will always be healed or see something miraculous happen. And while I agree that sometimes we give up too easily and need to be more proactive in exercising our faith, sometimes faith goes unanswered.
So, while I pray for miraculous things to happen and long to see amazing things, I think the faith I am more in need of is the faith that keeps a hold of God and his goodness even when it is not immediately answered.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
True enough. As much as I want God to be the big vending machine in the sky, that doesn't actually promote spiritual growth. I think about how my students really want me to just show them how to do things so they can copy it. However, they learn more, and learn deeper, if I resist and instead let them struggle with the material.
Post a Comment