By Faith

Series: Flowers in the Desert

Matthew 21:22 ESV

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

Hebrews. 11:1, The Message

I John 4:16 ESV

I John 4:17-19 ESV

2 Peter 3:18 (Grace and Knowledge of the Lord)

Scriptures that are very difficult to understand are problematic, especially when it’s something God or Jesus said.

That’s because, we really really do want to understand!

Today’s scripture is another example that’s near the top of the list of difficult scriptures…at least it has been for me.

Matthew 21:22, “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

The reason that is a scripture we tend to wrestle with is that we’ve all asked and not received. So…does that mean we failed to receive what we asked for because we did not have enough faith?

And if that is the case, how do we get faith?

Which leads us to the question, what does having enough faith mean?

As a child I learned Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

So, what exactly does the first part mean? The Message tells us in Hebrews 11:1, “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.”

According to that, fundamentally the act of trusting God (faith), and believing God is our firm foundation.

So, is trusting God and believing something WE do?

When I was younger I thought it was something I needed to do. And when I didn’t succeed that meant I failed.

As I grew older (much older) I looked at other definitions of God…like love.

I knew that love was a gift God gave.

But then, I questioned was it simply a gift given or was it more than that?

1 John 4:16 says, “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

According to that, love is not just something given, love IS God.

I John 4:17-19 goes on to say, “By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.”

Perfect love casts out all of our fear and God is love. When I relied on God more, I trusted God and I believed because of God in my life.

In much the same way, when I trusted that God loves me my faith grew stronger. I wasn’t the one who made my faith grow stronger.

God stuck with me and helped me to grow “in grace and knowledge of the Lord.” (2 Peter 3:18)

My only conclusion is that by faith I believe that God holds onto me and will never let go of me.

By faith I believe God holds onto me.

I believe God is holding onto me now and will hold onto me forever.

Spiritual Practice: Faith

Embrace God holding onto you.

In God, Deborah

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