By: Juliet Constantine
And Jesus answering saith unto them, “Have faith in God”. (Mark 11:22)
This morning, after reading the Morning Watch Text, I wondered why The Holy Spirit is giving another lesson on faith. I always seek His guidance before writing, and I internally whispered “another lesson on faith – speak Father.” I was assured that it is needed as I had not yet fully grasped the concept of letting go and letting God take control.
I suffer from Acrophobia! I am numbered in the 2-5% of the population who do; yet I love to fly. I will hop on a plane any day and go almost anywhere. I just love to travel! It is amazing that I have this fear of heights, yet I placed such great faith in airlines to get me from one place to the next. I really do not waver and wonder if everything will be well. I just blindly place my faith in the hands of persons unknown to me; yet I often doubted the Creator of Heaven and Earth who made all things!
Jesus sought the fruit of the fig tree and found none because it was not yet fig season. He cursed the tree and the next day the tree was dried up from its root. Peter, being surprised at the quick change in the status of the tree, called Jesus’ attention to it. Jesus encouraged Peter to have faith in God. He gave Peter (and His other disciples) a quick lesson on faith. His exact words were: “For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not bout in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”
The Holy Spirit immediately impressed upon my mind that Jesus had faith in God! His belief in God was without any doubt! That’s why He was able to do all those miracles, heal all those diseases. He believed that those things which He said will come to pass. He had faith in God! Jesus assured His disciples that they can do more than He did, if they just have faith.
I believe I can say to the mountains in my life – be thou remove and they will be removed! I believe I can say to the storms – Peace. Be still and the storms will cease! I believe, just as Jesus said that when I pray I am to believe that I receive whatever I am praying about and I will have them (Mark 12:24). I believe Father.
My friend, Pastor Michael Lewis’ take on faith is cleverly coined in his words: “To march around Jericho, and blow ram's horn when arrayed against … men armed with powerful weaponry, is not logical but sheer, raw, Faith which simply means that the individuals who marched had to separate themselves from their own rationality. There is no common sense in Faith! Which is why Jesus found that it was rear in his day! When you spiritualize away the bible, you are divorced from the reality of the ancient world. While it is a spiritual book, it's spiritual meaning cannot be determined outside of it's physical settings. Hence when you look at the story of the disciples in the boat with Christ on the stormy sea, how can you not even feel terrified when you immerse yourself in their shoe? So when you look at faith in such a setting, you would have to totally lose yourself to remain unmoved by the externals. Now you see why faith in God is not something logical, it is nothing human but something supernatural! When you really contemplate real Faith, you will soon learn it is not logical. It is inexplicable. It cannot be rationalized and could be defined as sheer madness only when viewed through the lens of human sophistry and reasoning.”
Yes, it is not logical. You many not understand, but just believe and obey. Have faith in God.
Our Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminder that we are to have faith in You. We believe You and believe that You will work it out for our good. Please strengthen our faith in You, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Copyrighted by Juliet Constantine 2014 (for “Alone With God – Finding Jesus In The Scriptures” Daily Devotional)
