02/20/2020
It is common to hear the expression “walking in faith”, but what does that mean to us? Is walking in faith like an evening stroll after dinner, or a morning exercise before we begin our day? Is it a few minutes each day spent in prayer, or perhaps carving out an hour at the local soup kitchen to serve a meal? If this is our idea of walking by faith then we have simply dipped a spoon into the boiling pot for a taste, when we should have received the nourishment of a full bowl.
“...We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.”
2 Corinthians 5:6-7 ESV
Every so often I find myself in a momentary terror, separated from God... I have become so intently wrapped up in my life, and day, that I have wandered from what matters most to me... God’s presence. In that instant, when I suddenly realize that I am alone, I look frantically around to find Him... then once I see Him there, a calm returns, and the panic subsides. It is very similar to the feeling a parent experiences when shopping in a crowded market, and suddenly realizes that their young child is not with them... fear, terror, panic, and without a second thought everything is dropped, and the only thing that matters is finding that child.
“but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.”
Luke 2:44-45 ESV
At first blush, this sounds like a calm return to Jerusalem to look for Jesus, but it was anything but that. Mary and Joseph left the safety of the caravan they had been traveling in to return alone to Jerusalem, and what a relief they felt upon finding Him safe...
“And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress."”
Luke 2:48 ESV
Our faith should be like the care we provide the young children who we lovingly guard, and expect to be safely at our side always. Even when a child is not with us, in our immediate sight, we must know exactly where they are, and this is how our faith should be, never out of our thoughts and care. Our walk of faith needs to be all consuming... ever important... a child safely in our care, and at our side.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 ESV
Our physical existence is not the constant as we travel through life because it has a beginning, and an end, but our belief and faith in God and Jesus Christ, is eternal in nature... everlasting. So what does it mean to us when we say we “walk in faith”, or “live by faith”? Is our faith a part of our life, or our life contained entirely within our faith?
“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."”
Romans 1:17 ESV
Let’s examine how we live today. Let’s determine the role we have assigned our faith. Let’s decide which is all important to us... our faith in the Lord, or the life we lead each day. Which do we fear most, the loss of our life, or for the loss of our relationship with God? In other words... is our faith the vessel that contains our life, or is our life the vessel that contains our faith? How do we choose to live, and to walk?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the mustard seed of faith you provide us, which germinates and grows to cover us. Thank you for opening our eyes to the fact that our life is entirely within your hands, and that we can do nothing without you... without our faith in you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who surrounds us, and is with us always. Great are you for the love you have for us, a love that prompted you to send your Son Jesus to find us, and to die for us that we might be redeemed... He came for us, even as Mary, and Joseph, returned to find Him as a boy in Jerusalem. Amazing is the urgency with which you search for us. Awesome is the the price you have paid. We praise your name Father not for a minute, or an hour, but with each breath we take. All glory is yours and is made perfect by your grace. Hear our worship Lord... not from a distance, but from close within, for you are the vessel of our lives, and the jar into which our faith is poured, and kept secure forevermore. You are the world within which I travel, and pilgrimage.
Rich Forbes