So the sidewalk is crowded:
The city goes by.
And I rush through another day,
And a world full of strangers,
Turn their eyes to me,
But I just look the other way
I think from time to time we all feel lost and in a world full of strangers. I know at times I do. I have found though when I feel lost, is when my faith is not at its strongest. This brings up a good question. Just what is faith? We are always told to "have faith" or "keep the faith". Why do we always tell people who are at life's lowest to "have faith"?
The author Napoleon Hill describes it like this...
"Faith is the eternal elixir which gives life, power, and action to the impulse of thought. Faith is the element, the chemical which, when mixed with prayer, gives one direct communication with Infinite Intelligence."
I believe many religions preach on faith, but may not tell people how to actually have faith.
They roll by just like water,
And I guess we never learn.
Go through life parched and empty,
Standin' knee deep in a river and dyin' of thirst.
If you have faith that something will happen, you must live your life as if it already has. Wishing it will is not faith. Faith is not a wish or a request, it is a state of mind. When your mind is convinced that it will occur, only then are you living in faith.
Matthew 17:20
"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."
Faith is a powerful thing. However, I don't think we are fully aware just how to use it. Many believe their prayers go unanswered and don't know why. They feel thirsty, but fail to realize that they are standing in a river. Could it be because they don't truly understand how to have faith?
They roll by just like water,
And I guess we never learn.
Go through life parched and empty,
Standin' knee deep in a river and dyin' of thirst.
Moving a mountain is... on this cowboys mind.
(Joe Cocker: Standing Knee Deep In A River)
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How to use faith ... hmm, that is an interesting question. The writer of Hebrews says, Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1).
ReplyDeleteI struggle with the idea that if we just have enough faith, God will answer our prayers. I'm not saying that is what you are saying here, but isn't it scary to believe that some really crazy prayers out there could be answered if the person praying them just had enough faith?
Here's what I do have faith in ... God loves me, he will never abandon me, my picture is on his refrigerator and he promises me a sense of joy, peace and righteousness that nothing, nothing else can provide.
Oh yes, we can change the world; we can move those mountains. I believe that very firmly. Every time we have an effect on something with eternal value (like other human beings) we just changed the world ... forever.
Perhaps the "river" we are standing in when we feel so thirsty is the realization that God is in control and I really am strong enough to deal with it all, with him at my side. Now that's a helluva a mountain to move!
Kenneth wrote:
ReplyDelete"Faith is a powerful thing. However, I don't think we are fully aware just how to use it. Many believe their prayers go unanswered and don't know why. They feel thirsty, but fail to realize that they are standing in a river. Could it be because they don't truly understand how to have faith?"
I think that we have faith, we just forget to use it. I think we instinctively know it works, we just get to busy or panic-y, or we listen to the Wrong Voice when we need to stop.....and remember who we are and Whose we are. God is God, and I am not. Thank God!
Tammy and Bobby, thank you both. Very well said.
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