Faith!

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). This is from our second scripture reading this Sunday. Faith is an awesome thing! Faith is also kind of difficult to talk about… How do you define it? Is it simply “trust,” is it the same as “belief”? I’ve heard lots of stories about “faith” over the years. Martin Luther was at his most eloquent talking about faith: “O it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith… Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that the believer would stake their life on it a thousand times. This knowledge of and confidence in God’s grace makes people glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and with all creatures!” (Preface to Romans, 1521). He’s right of course, but I’ve also encountered lots of folks who hear that and think, “I don’t have faith…” or “I don’t have enough faith.” Or, if I had more faith, then this bad thing wouldn’t have happened… or, I would be able to move past it easier… I’ve met people who said they didn’t have faith but wrestled with God more than most. That to me is faith. 

           The words we use can also be misleading sometimes. In the ancient languages, you always had faith in something, there was never just “faith.” And because faith always had an object—someone or something—it was never “blind.” In other words, before I followed someone I’d need to find out if they are trustworthy. Is that white water rafting guide experienced? Did my child’s doctor actually graduate from medical school? When someone I trust shares a “faith story” about how God helped them—I believe them. 

           It’s one thing to know about God—have “beliefs”—it’s another thing to trust God and God’s promises. This is where learning about God matters. I’ve run into a lot of people who don’t trust God (believe in God)—because their “beliefs about God” are in error. In other words, they tell me about the God they do not believe in, and I’m like, I don’t believe in that kind of God either! 

           And if you’ve read this far, you can probably tell that it is very easy to overthink faith. It’s very simple: if God calls will you follow? 

Peace, 

Pr. Christian