Expect Something from Nothing
I believe that the primary cause of unhappiness in the world today is a lack of faith.
Corrie ten Boom says, “Faith is like a radar that sees through the fog the reality of things at a distance that a human eye cannot see.” Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives the impossible. The Bible challenges us in 2 Corinthians 5:7 to walk by faith and not by sight.
Jim Stovall once said, “Don’t wait for all the lights to turn green before we leave the house.” He’s right. If Noah had waited for perfect conditions, we’d all be aquatic by now. Instead, he built an ark before rain was even a thing. Hebrews reminds us why:
“It is impossible to please God without faith” (Hebrews 11:6).
So, what is faith? John Spaulding said, “Your faith is what you believe, not what you know.” Dr. Alexis Carrel says, “It is faith, and not reason, which impels men to action…intelligence is content to point out the road, but never drives along it.” I agree with Blaise Pascal: “Faith is a sounder guide than reason. Reason can only go so far, but faith has no limits.”
Too many people expect little from God, ask little, and therefore receive little and are content with little. Sherwood Eddie said, “Faith is not trying to believe something regardless of the evidence; faith is daring to do something regardless of the consequences.” I sincerely believe that we would accomplish many more things if we did not so automatically view them as impossible.
Faith releases the miraculous. It is the way to God’s divine influence. I agree with Pastor Tommy Barnett: “Faith is simply when you bring God into the picture.” And where do we meet God? “God meets us at the level we expect, not the level we hope” (Gordon Robinson). At times, faith is believing what you see isn’t so. That’s why the Bible says in Hebrews, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (11:1).
Put faith to work when doubting would be easier. Faith is the anchor of the soul, the stimulus to action, and the incentive to achievement. Faith will never abandon you; only you can abandon it. Nothing but faith can accurately guide your life. Faith gives us the courage to face the present with confidence and the future with expectancy. It is usually not so much the greatness of our troubles as the littleness of our faith that causes us to stop or complain.
Faith is necessary to succeed. George Spaulding said, “Life without faith in something is too narrow a space in which to live.” You’ll feel cramped your whole life when you don’t live by faith. As your faith grows, you will find you no longer need to cling to a sense of control. Things will flow as God wills, and you will be able to flow with them to your great happiness and benefit. Colin Hightower said, “Faith is building on what you know is here, so you can reach what you know is there.” Listen to Franklin Roosevelt: “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubt of today.” Let us move forward with strong and active faith.