Faith

Faith is hard, it can be hard to understand, hard to hold onto when things get tough, but it is also essential in our relationship with God. Hebrews 11 is an entire chapter devoted to men and women of God that God used mightily because of their Faith.

Matthew 17:20 says "... Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." 

If you've ever seen a mustard seed you will know that it is absolutely tiny, yet Jesus is saying that even if we have just that amount of faith we can tell a mountain to move! I think that's pretty impressive! 


'In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.' 1 Peter 1:6-7


It's only by faith that we can see the promises that God has given us come to fulfilment. God uses our trails to test our faith, to strengthen it so that we may grow to be the men and women of God that he has designed us to be. So that we, like those in Hebrews 11, may be used mightily for the sake of the Kingdom. So that no matter what life throws at us we can say 'I have faith that He will bring me through.' When we are faithful we can see and experience the amazing things God can do in and through us.

Hebrews 11:1 gives a great definition of faith. 'Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.'


It doesn't give us much room for doubt does it?! Are you sure of what you hope for? Are you certain of what you don't see? No? Well a lot of the time neither am I. But prayer can make a huge difference. Pray that God increases your faith, pray that he will refine it during times of trial as it says in 1 Peter 1:7. Take that small mustard seed of faith and expect to see mountains move! 

Pain

 The question why does God allow suffering? is something that comes up a lot. Countless Christian authors have written books on the subject, probably a lot more eloquently than I ever could. I've been challenged on this subject a lot and sat there often whilst I've been ill thinking 'why is this happening to me!'

This past week whilst I was doing my bible reading I came across John 9:3 which says '"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."'

This verse is talking about the man that was born blind and it was the assumption in those days that if someone is born with a condition like that, it is as a result of sin. However Jesus here is disagreeing with that and says that he was born blind so that God can display his glory. This really struck a chord with me as so often over the past few months I have questioned why I got M.E and especially after I experienced the paralysis, but through it all God has demonstrated His healing in my life. I don't think my recovery from 3 months ago to now can be explained as anything other than miraculous! I have gone from being completely paralysed and bedbound to being able to walk round the house and even a little outside without crutches and only using crutches and my wheelchair for longer journeys or days out.

This doesn't mean to say that God wants us to suffer or he likes seeing us suffer, in fact it's just the opposite. Part of my bible reading this week was reading the story of Lazarus in John 11:1-44

John 11: 32-35 says 'When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus wept.'

At the end of this passage Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, which is what he knew he was going to do all along, yet he was still moved by everyone's grief and he wept. This is what it said in my daily reading notes
'This is a profound moment in the gospel. It tells us that God cares about all our pain, despite his promises-of a future with, of resurrection, of a party in heaven where all tears will be wiped away. He can see the end from the beginning, but he is in the moment, now, with us. In our deepest times of despair, we are never alone. Jesus wept.'

I can't explain why suffering happens, only that when it does Jesus is there weeping with us, and I can't think of anything more comforting than that. To know that when we are struggling, when we are reaching the point where we can't go on, Jesus is there beside us, feeling our pain with us and not only that, but carrying us through the other side.

~The times when you have seen only one set of footprints, is when I carried you~