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Faith

What is faith? I have been thinking about this lately. If you read last week's article, you know that I hurt my foot doing something routine and ordinary, simply stepping up onto a stool. After a visit to my regular doctor and X-rays that determined nothing was broken, I had to visit a specialist to find out what was wrong and how to fix it. As I limped along while waiting to see the specialist, I had faith that the specialist would be able to determine what I did and provide a course of treatment that would resolve things. There was no doubt in my mind that he would find the problem; he's an expert, after all, and has studied and treated many people. Sure enough, after listening to my description and looking at my foot, he was able to tell me what I already suspected, that I had torn a ligament in my foot, and prescribed two to three weeks in a cast to give it time to rest and heal. While I am not exactly thrilled with being in a cast, I am thankful that there is a solution and that I will not always have to hobble around the way I had been.

My faith in the doctor was rewarded with a solid treatment plan and a significant reduction in pain already. But what if I had not gone to the doctor to allow him to diagnose and treat what was wrong? I could say that I have faith in the doctor, that I have confidence in his abilities, but if I do not act on that faith, what good does it do me? I would still be limping and whining (yes, I do definitely whine when I hurt!) and probably doing further damage to myself.

Faith is much more than a warm fuzzy feeling or saying that I believe something is true. It requires action to be of any use to anyone. Saying that I have faith a chair will hold me up is all well and good; however, until I actually go over and sit down in the chair, my faith is just empty words. The writer of Hebrews gives an interesting definition of faith: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1, New International Version). That's an accurate translation and gives a good perspective on faith, but I think the New King James Version captures the essence more clearly:  "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." I have a card that puts it this way: faith is the bird that feels the sun and sings while the dawn is still dark.

Faith, especially faith in God, has substance, even though it is invisible. When we have faith in something or someone, we act accordingly. We are willing to live our lives based on what we believe. If we are not willing to do that, then our actions speak louder than our words. John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard movement, often said that faith is spelled R-I-S-K; if we are not willing to risk and act on what we say we believe, then our faith is empty and dead. The Apostle James had a strong opinion about this in James 2:1418:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

Those are strong words, but I know that I need to hear them from time to time and take a reality check. Do my actions reflect what I say that I believe? Is my faith in God evident by the way that I live? It is not enough to say that I have faith, I need to act on that faith. There is a great scene in one of the Indiana Jones movies that is a powerful visual depiction of faith. Indiana knows that there should be a narrow bridge across a deep chasm, but it is not visible, and he knows that he needs to get across somehow. He takes a deep breath and steps out into what is apparently thin air, and as he does the bridge materializes beneath his feet.

Now there is a difference between faith and foolishness. Misplaced faith or brash cockiness can get me into a lot of trouble; if I decide that I believe that I can defy gravity and jump off a cliff without getting hurt, I am going to get a big surprise when I hit the ground. No, there has to be a basis for faith beyond just wishful thinking. My faith in God is based upon what I have read in the Bible and what I have seen and experienced for myself. Although I cannot see God, I have seen the evidence that he is real and that he wants to be actively involved in my life. Based on what I know about him so far, I have confidence in what he is like and that what he says is true, whether I can see how or not. That gives me the courage to step out and risk when I do not always see the bridge in front of me.

March 9, 2008

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