Let’s face it, if you really think about it, life is scary – There is much more we cannot control than what we can. You might get to your destination safely but an errant driver can mount the sidewalk and mow you down. As part of your weekly routine, you could be going for a leisurely run in the park and then have a tree come crashing down on you like it did the lady in Marsiling park. In many instances in our lives, we actually take it “on faith” that things will work out. We ride the elevators in faith, we take public transport in faith, we soar through the air and cross international time zones in faith, yet, when it comes to the Lord’s will in our lives, we have more faith in the builders of rollercoaster rides than we do our heavenly Father.
What is faith?
In Hebrews 11:1, Faith is described as being “certain of what we do not see.” It is an absolute belief that God is constantly working behind the scenes in every aspect of our lives, even when there is “nothing your senses can discern”. When we fail to understand that God is always working behind the scenes, unbelief gains the upper hand in our thoughts, giving fear a moment to take hold and for anxieties to cloud your judgement. Let me put it this way, we don’t see the maintenance personnel keeping our aeroplanes flight worthy do we? Yet we trust that these winged contraptions will ferry us safely. What gives?
Anti-fragile faith or How to Trust your Heavenly Father
“Daddy, this is yummy! I like all the dishes you choose.”
Remember when you didn’t like any food I recommended?
“Yes.. but I was young!”
And then one day you decided to try the mee goreng I’ve always wanted you to try!
“And before that, prata with curry instead of sugar…”
And.. it was the dahl curry which wasn’t too spicy for you and now you eat all kinds of curry and spicy mee goreng.
“Now I know that daddy knows what I like and I can trust his choices!”
“Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
Matthew 7:9-11
Suffice it to say, as a father to two young children, I often find myself lacking in wisdom and intellect to steward these souls entrusted to me. We are flawed and with the aid of the Holy Spirit, dare we hope to raise children to reflect His glory. That said, our Father in heaven lacks nothing and so, if our children can trust in our human “goodness”, we definitely can trust in the Lord’s true goodness. Do you trust your Grabcar or Taxi driver to take you to your desired destination? If that is so, what more when Jesus takes the wheel?
Testimony: Is this bread? It looks like a stone!
Some time ago, I had prayed for deliverance from a particularly toxic boss, it was because of this boss, I spent all my lunch hours in fasting and prayer at the nearby church for close to two years. Eventually, I had two meetings with a potential new employer and while I was confident of God’s plans to prosper and not fail me (Jeremiah 29:11), what my eyes saw as doors opening, closed. But still, I understood, “His will, not mine be done”. When I finally received the call that it was not to be, I was sad, and even lost for a moment but a minute later, a weight lifted off my shoulders.
Why? Because God’s never breaks His promises. Since God promises that if you ask for bread, He won’t give you a stone, it is therefore not a stone and I trusted that God was planning something even better for me, so I fell to my knees and gave thanks. Indeed, almost a year later, something better did come.
David got up from the floor, washed his face and combed his hair, put on a fresh change of clothes, then went into the sanctuary and worshiped. Then he came home and asked for something to eat. They set it before him and he ate. His servants asked him, “What’s going on with you? While the child was alive you fasted and wept and stayed up all night. Now that he’s dead, you get up and eat.” “While the child was alive,” he said, “I fasted and wept, thinking GOD might have mercy on me and the child would live. But now that he’s dead, why fast? Can I bring him back now? I can go to him, but he can’t come to me.”
2 Samuel 12:20-24
Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that faith is a gift, and that faithfulness is a “fruit” produced in our lives by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). Our faith is a confident assurance in an omnipotent God who loves us and cares about our deepest needs. That faith grows when it is tested and we discover each time that God comes through for us. This gift is further nurtured when we get to know the Father as intimately as possible through the Bible and learn the attributes of His amazing character. Biblical heroes like David too experienced fear as he tells us in Psalm 56, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” Through the bible, God wants us to know Him and completely rely on His plan in our lives and the Bible is clear that faith does not mature and strengthen without trials. Adversity is God’s most effective tool to develop a strong faith. After all, in the Our Father, do we not pray “Your Will be done”?
