06/16/2026
We say we love the Lord, but do we really love Him, or do we simply love studying and reading about Him? Do we really love Him or do we love talking to others about our biblical knowledge of Him? Do we really love Him, or do we just want to believe that He performs miracles in case of an emergency? Does any of this sound familiar, if so then maybe our relationship with Him might be dysfunctional in some other way. Knowing who God is isn’t faith; reciting a children’s prayer we learned a lifetime ago isn’t the prayer He expects from us. Let’s open the door of our heart to Him and love as He does.
“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.”
Psalms 63:1-2 ESV
My employer moved the department I work in into a new building that they had completely renovated. The other day I was walking down the hallway towards my work area when I passed a door, behind it was the machinery that powered an elevator. On the door was a small red sticker that I hadn’t noticed before, and it read “Fire Extinguisher Inside.” This was a locked door and is accessible only to the building maintenance crew. So I looked around and didn’t see another obvious extinguisher anywhere else... all the way back to my desk there was nothing.
As I walked I thought to myself... what use was it to place that extinguisher in a room where it couldn’t be accessed without a key... in a place where, even if we could, we would have to enter a burning room before getting to it? It was locked away and out of reach to all but the few who possessed the guarded key. Then it dawned on me that this is exactly how many of us treat our faith. We keep the Lord safely locked away in a place where we think that He will be of use to us in a specific personal emergency. We tend to believe that He is our own exclusive fire extinguisher, and in this role, we keep Him locked away from others so that in an emergency we alone can reach Him. We lock Him behind a sealed door in a place where He is inaccessible and nearly impossible for others to reach without us allowing them access.
I was reminded by a verse from the book of Job about how we often approach our relationship with God; we ask ourselves who He is, and how He would be of use to us. This way of thinking is all too common, and yet we satisfy ourselves with it, and call it faith. Then we take that “faith” and tuck it away in a hidden place until we need it.
“What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?”
Job 21:15 ESV
Let’s assume for a minute that we believe God is the creator of the universe, and that His Word, the Bible, is truth; then let’s assume we believe that Jesus is His Son and died that your sins would be forgiven, and so that we would have everlasting life. Now, from that understanding, let’s examine our faith. Let’s lay it in front of us and look at it closely. Are we looking at a locked door that we only open in the event of an emergency?
If we keep our faith in a sealed room within us it is of little use, but there is another question we should ask ourselves too... where is the key? How would we access that faith which we have so carefully and securely protected in a tiny room behind lock and key?
“Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
Matthew 5:15 ESV
My wife and I have a basement storage area filled with boxes. Most of them haven’t been opened in years, and over the course of those years our memory of what is in them has faded, and in some cases, been lost. This is what happens to the fire extinguishers of our faith; we place them behind closed doors until one day someone asks us if we have one... then we must go searching for it… it must be around here somewhere. Finally, we find the sign, but it is behind a locked door, and we begin to search for the key. As we examine our faith today, does this sound familiar?
Ok, so we have found our faith, and it was right there behind the locked door where we put it years ago; now what do we do? We have three options available to us; we can say “Ah Ha!” and then close the door back because now we know where it is again. Yes, that is one way of dealing with it, or perhaps we do that and then place a red sticker on that door so that if we are asked again we won’t have to look so hard... that is another way of dealing with it. But the best way is to retrieve it from the locked room and place it openly in the hallway of our life where we can see it every day, where we can examine the gauge on it to insure it is fully functional, and where we can share it with others.
Ok, now we know how to deal with our faith as a tool, an extinguisher, to be used in times of emergency, but is that all our faith is to us? As we are examining it today is this all we have... a security device; something we hope we will never need, but is nice to have around just in case? Well, if that is true then we need to take a deeper look into ourselves, and our relationship with the divine. We need to open the door of our heart and begin the process of reestablishing the relationship with our Heavenly Father that we placed in a box long ago... we need to rekindle the memory; the fire...
“So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.”
Psalms 63:4-7 ESV
Today we have taken the first steps in looking at the health of our faith once more. In doing so we have asked ourselves a few simple questions and possibly found what we once believed in was now locked behind closed doors. So, what do we do with our findings? If we are living in a vibrant relationship with God and Jesus Christ then we should keep moving forward, but if we had to search in hidden places, or hunt for something we had somehow lost, then it is time to dust off our faith and bring it back into the light of day... it is time to realize once again the joy of loving, and being loved by God. It is time to allow Jesus to reclaim His place as the light of our life. Are we ready to do this? Are we ready for a healthy and unceasing life within the arms of our Heavenly Father? Are we prepared to reestablish and invigorate the love of our life?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your patience with me in those times when I have placed you in storage, or hidden you away in the recesses of my heart. I thank you for never losing hope in me, even when my hope in you had faded from the forefront of my memory. You are faithful Father, and I pray that you will teach me to be just as loyal in my faith in you. Holy Father, I pray that as I walk with you I will never wander astray, or lose sight of your radiance as we travel together. Today I have examined our spiritual relationship and found ways in which I need to improve; help me Merciful Father to polish it until it is brilliant, and let my heart be the container for our love... the love of a child for its Father, and a Father for His child. Pick me up when I fall Lord, and meet me with excitement on the road as I return home... a prodigal son, a child that was lost but is now found. Let the answer to Job’s question “What is the Almighty?” be LOVE, and to His question “what profit do we get if we pray?” also be LOVE. In this and all you are, you are my Holy Father and are to be praised because Holy, Holy, Holy, are you who is my God whose love can never be hidden, and whose patience endures forever.
“Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.”
Psalms 63:3 ESV
Amen!
Rich Forbes