THE BRIDGE OF FAITH

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen – Hebrews 11:1

Our emphases this Month of September will be on Faith, Grace and Wisdom! Be blessed as you read, study, meditate, declare, obey, and share God’s Word in Jesus name!

“Now we come to a crossroads, a bridge that arches above the tumultuous waters of discontent and takes us into a new land where contentment flourishes. This bridge is called FAITH.

Faith raises us above our circumstances. Faith enables us to be content even when life doesn’t make sense. Faith is the bulwark that keeps us strong even when we’re assailed by agonizing thoughts about what might happen or by what has happened…

How would you define faith? … Faith is a grand concept that defies the confines of words. Still, the author of Hebrews offers a splendid definition: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1).

These are lofty, noble-sounding words, but what are they really saying? What does it mean to be sure of what we hope for? Is there something special we’re to hope for, or can we hope for anything we want? How can we be convinced about things we cannot see? And what is it that we can’t see that we’re supposed to be certain of?

…We must first understand the meaning of the word ASSURANCE as it relates to faith. In the early 1900s, scholars uncovered thousands of letters, receipts, and other documents from a two-thousand-year-old Greek colony. This word assurance appeared many times. Literally translated it means “title deed.” A title deed is something we own… Likewise, faith is something we own; it is ours. But we must do more than possess faith intellectually – we must own it in our hearts. Faith is not something to be reasoned from afar, but something we throw ourselves into – heart, mind, and soul.

To better understand this, imagine yourself standing with a group of people at the top of Niagara Falls. A tightrope is stretched above the water. On the tightrope is a man with a wheel barrow. In the wheelbarrow is a two-hundred-pound St. Bernard dog. You watch in amazement as the man pushes the dog and the wheelbarrow safely back and forth above the falls.

After his fifth successful trip, the man turns to the crowd and says, “I can easily take a man of woman across the falls in this wheelbarrow. Do you believe this?” You think, No problem! After all, most people would weigh less than the huge dog and wouldn’t squirm so much.

As you vigorously nod your head, agreeing that the man could do such a thing, he turns, points to you, and says “Get in.”

It’s one things to believe God can do something. It’s quite another to put yourself in a position of reliant trust. This is the distinction between intellectual belief and wholehearted faith…

God does not demand that you and I have BLIND faith, but ABANDONED faith, a faith that trusts Him fully. Through His Word, God willingly reveals much about who he is, what His plans are, and what He requires of us. As we come to see Him and know Him, He urges, “Trust Me.” Hundreds of times in the Bible, God implores us to trust Him. We tend to make trust a grey area, but with God the issue is often black and white. We either trust Him or we don’t. We’re for Him or we’re against Him. We’re in the wheelbarrow or we’re on the side-lines.”

 Linda Dillow
 Excerpt from: Calm My Anxious Heart (1998), pp. 134-135

Prayer: Lord, build the bridge of whole-hearted faith in my heart to cross over tumultuous waters of discontent into realms of contentment and peace!