When Faith is The Only Thing You Have

‘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

He was a powerful man.

Successful, respected, a man in authority… he gave orders and others followed.

Even more, he was kind and compassionate.

Yet, he was powerless to help the one he loved.

She had tried everything.

Now, she had nothing.

Years had gone by, every specialist had been consulted, her life-savings had dwindled away, yet, she was still unwell.

Have you ever been there? To the end of yourself?

Painfully aware that your ability… your desire… your resources… as great as they may be just aren’t enough. You can’t fix the brokenness.

Well, I sure have.

And today I’m drawing inspiration from the lives of these two biblical examples of faith.

You see that powerful man didn’t have what he needed but he knew of the One who did.

And the lady knew exactly Who to turn to.

Jesus.

In awesome wonder they beheld the Only One who could help them.

The all-powerful, ever-compassionate, God-in-the-flesh Jesus Christ.

Humbly, aware of their own frailty, they reverently approached the God-man.

Just speak the word, he implored.

You don’t even have to be physically present to heal the brokenness. I know that just a word from you is enough.

And the lady?

Well, she just touched the hem of His garment. Perhaps she thought, I know who You are; I know that you can make me whole. I don’t even need a word, I just need to get close to you… near enough to reach out and touch… even your clothing.

And do you know what?

That pure, immaculate faith, unsullied by reliance on anything other than the God-man Himself caught the attention of Jesus.

When faith is the only thing you have, Jesus notices.

And He acts.

He pours out His power; He makes our brokenness whole.

But sometimes we feel that faith isn’t enough.

Sometimes we don’t fully rely on Jesus. Perhaps we forget who Jesus is.

If you’re anything like me, sometimes, when you’re faced with a mangled mess… well, you take matters into your own hands.

You analyze the problem from all angles, research it to death, consult the ‘experts’ and then come up with the best course of action according to you.

If I’m not prayerful, this reliance on me translates to a complete lack of faith – a failure to fully depend on God and totally and humbly obey where He leads.

You see, faith is not about me. It’s not about how much faith I could muster up. Rather, it’s the quality not the quantity that counts.

The right kind of faith – genuine faith in an all-powerful God – begins and ends with God.

It’s all about Him… who He is, what He has done, and what He continues to do.

(How many times do we make it about us?)

Such a faith has no space for doubt or fear… no worry that God is unwilling or unable to act.

Such a faith knows Whom it believes and is fully persuaded that He is able.

Such a faith trusts even when it doesn’t understand.

Such a faith is powerful beyond reason because it rests on the all-powerful God of the Universe for whom nothing is impossible.

God in his mercy has filled His word with a multitude of faith-rich stories which remind us of those 

‘who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.’ Hebrews 11: 33-34

Yes, when we have nothing else but faith, we have enough.

We look to 'Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…’ Hebrews 12: 2

And we live amazed at who God is, what He has done and what He continues to do!

Will you pray with me?

O Heavenly Father,

Teach me to see

that Christ does not desire me, now justified,

to live in self-confidence in my own strength,

but gives me the law of the Spirit of life

to enable me to obey thee.

Thou hast taught me

that faith is nothing else than receiving thy kindness;

that it is an adherence to Christ, a resting on him,

love clinging to him as a branch to the tree,

to seek life and vigour from him.

I thank thee for showing me the vast difference

between knowing things by reason,

and knowing them by the spirit of faith.

By reason I see a thing is so; by faith I know it as it is.

I have seen thee by reason and have not been amazed,

I have seen thee as thou art in thy Son

and have been ravished to behold thee.

I bless thee that I am thine in my Savior, Jesus.

(Excerpt from The Valley of Vision – Belonging to Jesus)

Share:facebook - twitter - pinterest

When Faith is The Only Thing You Have