From Hope to Faith (Part Two)

Good morning.

We have seen yesterday that faith is the voucher for that we hope for. Faith in the general sense is not only related to God. Many people believe in themselves and therefore become very successful, which is not wrong and is called self-confidence. This faith is also based on the Hebrews 11:1 principle, since we have no evidence that things will turn out the way we’d like it to, apart from the voucher faith.

I once played darts with a Christian friend of mine who hadn’t played for a long time. We first played a game where he only needed two ‘bulls’ to win. When I mentioned it to him, he simply said ‘okay’ and threw the two bulls in sequence. In the second game we played, one had to throw three darts on each number from numbers one to twenty. I was very far ahead on score, but the game was so designed that, if you throw a double, a trip and a single in the same number all at once when you get into the latter numbers, you win regardless. This sequence is every dart-player’s dream, but not easily accomplished. When we got to number twenty, I was obviously smiling broadly, but kindly told him he could still win if he throws this sequence. He said ‘okay’ and planted the darts in that sequence. Whether God favoured him (smile) or whether he had amazing self-confidence I don’t know, but to me it was an example of what faith should be. He expected it and got it.

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him (Hebrews 11:6).”

A man told Jesus that if He can, He could help his son “and Jesus said to him, ‘'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes (Matthew 9:23),’” and in another passage, “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘with man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God (Matthew 10:27).’”

How many of us feel insulted when we know we can do something, but people don’t trust us? We don’t like it, do we? The same applies to the Lord. We know He can do it, He has proven Himself so many times, yet we still don’t trust Him. He should feel insulted. That’s why the Israelites had to stay in the desert until the generation of pity-seeking slaves had died out and a faith generation replaced them. In spite of all the physical evidence they had, they still didn’t trust God.

Jesus set us the example of faith. He heard every night from the Father in prayer what He should do the following day, believed it, did what He was told and powerful miracles happened. Even though He was God, on earth He was a man just like us and also had to listen for the Holy Spirit’s still small voice in His spirit, whilst shutting up all the other carnal noises. He easily could have thought He heard silly things. Maybe the Father had told Him: ‘Today when you find a blind man, you must spit in the soil, make mud and put it on his eyes...’ That can’t be, Jesus could have thought, it’s really silly, I’m not going to make a fool of myself.

If we hope to do God’s will, we have to believe what we’ve heard from Him and put it to action. “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead (James 2:26).”

Lord, help me to put faith to action.

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