3 Things About FAITH

It's been a while since I blogged, but reading My Daily Bread today really illuminated the meaning of faith and uncovered some of the "myths" people, including myself, tend to have about faith. I realized how my long struggle with the belief that I needed "more and more" of it was unnecessary, and that I've been looking at the world through human eyes (my own eyes) and reckoning that things can only go according to the rules of the world. These 3 simple but fundamental truths about faith can often be sidelined in the constant rhetoric that "You just need to have faith".

1. It doesn't matter how much faith you have.

Here is something where black or white, all or nothing, extreme-thinking is advantageous (otherwise most things should be perceived in shades of grey). Here's an excerpt from Luke 17 as evidence:

⁶He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

In His reply to the disciples who asked Him to increase their faith, Jesus made it clear that quantity of faith is irrelevant. Sometimes we attribute unanswered prayers to insufficient faith, but fail to understand that the effectiveness of our prayers don't hinge on the quantity of our faith but rather the presence of it (i.e., whether we even have faith).

2. Don't limit God's intervention to the ways of the world.

Haha a common error that I tend to commit, by forgetting that God's power is far more superior than the laws of nature in this universe--the laws of science, logic and rationality theorized by men to explain the operations of the world. I hate to admit this but it's even more powerful than psychology (which I totally adhere to as part of my knowledge quest in life). the centurion that Luke spoke about in chapter 7 makes an excellent exemplar for us to model for even Jesus commended him as a man of "great faith":

⁹When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."

The centurion, a man of great military status and riches in the Roman army, did not restrict Jesus' ability to heal his servant to the workings of the world. He knew that whether Jesus was physically by his servant's side did not affect Jesus' ability to heal. Often, we think that some preconditions must be present for certain miracles (or rather possibilities) to occur. For instance, I keep thinking that for me to get into a PhD program I NEED to have a publication and hence I keep praying for one (well, this is an example, not that I have been doing so extensively). But God can choose to reveal His strength through my weaknesses by enabling me to get into a program even it is difficult in the eyes of men so that I realize that it's by His might and not my own effort. Don't limit your faith in God to how things of the world function.

3. Have faith that trusts God to do His work in His way.

I like this one a lot. As mentioned in My Daily Bread, "unanswered prayers" are sometimes not unanswered; in some cases, God has overruled our wishes in a loving manner. He knows that what we asked for simply may not be beneficial or the best for us. Perhaps the timing is inappropriate or He has a far greater purpose that surpasses what we hope for. We cannot see things the way He does, and feel neglected, hopeless, and helpless when we don't see any "response" to our prayers. Jesus' prayer on the Mount of Olives offers some comfort in our distress when we feel that our prayers are unanswered (Luke 22):

⁴²"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

Well, it can be argued that Jesus had an idea of what was happening to Him and that it was for a greater good He was aware of. In many life situations, we are oblivious to what's to come and we don't even know whether the eventual outcome will be benign or harmful. Whatever the case, having a faith that considers the "invisible" (not seeing but yet believing) would definitely help us to step out of hopelessness and helplessness although I must emphasize that Christianity ("religion") is not a feel good thing. Taste and see then you'll realize that God gives us more than we can ever imagine.

Unanswered prayers are answered still

As part of God's great master plan;

They help to carry out His will

To demonstrate God's love for man--D. De Haan

Message from God today...

For the past two weeks Pastor David Wilkerson, founder of Times Square Church, had been ministering and preaching on Sunday mornings. It was indeed a refreshing departure from Pastor Conlon's preaching (not that I don't relish it; Pastor Conlon's a fantastic speaker and a tremendous man of God that I respect a lot, especially his leadership and zeal for God).

Today, Ps. Wilkerson preached an amazing sermon that I just felt the urge to post about here. I won't go into a long rhetoric but I'll just share the essence of it. His message entitled: "God's people will never be ashamed", and was based on Psalm 37:

16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;

17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18 The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
and their inheritance will endure forever.

19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20 But the wicked will perish:
The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,
they will vanish—vanish like smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;

22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be cut off.

Pastor Wilkerson was speaking this timely message in response to the crisis ahead in the nation and the world at large. Many are living in uncertain times, not knowing what the future beholds. He mentioned how the "wicked" will reap what they sow, and how this is already happening to some with the financial turmoil. In contrast, God's people will, as stated in verse 19, "in times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty". Apart from taking comfort from the fact that God's stated woes will come to pass, we are to rest on His promises that we will not be ashamed and will continue to be well-provided for during calamity. Imperatively, God's reputation is at stake here; whenever a promise like that is made in the bible, we can be rest assured that it will come to fruition because God must keep His word, like how he did when he delivered the Israelites out of Egypt by enabling them to cross the Red Sea--a seemingly futile endeavor by human standards, He made possible.

God cares about His namesake. In Isaiah 48, it is written:

9 For my own name's sake I delay my wrath;
for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
so as not to cut you off.

And in verse 11, He reiterates Himself:

11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?
I will not yield my glory to another.

In this context He is saying that He won't allow Himself to go back on the promises He made to Israel even though they were stubborn and disobedient towards Him. In the same way, we know that God will fulfill His promises. And we need to look at eternity and not just here on earth.

One last line that Pastor Wilkerson said which impacted me was this: "Unity is not a feeling, it's a choice". Often in church, we feel dissatisfied because we feel that we lack a sense of unity, or we don't feel united as a church. But Pastor Wilkerson gave me an alternative perspective of unity as an action word. Unity does not mean no disagreement. Disagreements, in my opinion, can sometimes birth healthy discussions and collective action towards a common good, if managed appropriately. Unity means wanting a common goal, and sharing the burden as the team surges forward to achieve it.

Dear God,
I pray that those who fear will seek comfort in Your promises,
That they will always put their plans in Your hands
Because You know what's best for them.
Amen.

Dear God:

Perform a heart surgery on me O Lord,

Give me a new heart that will beat for You.

Untainted by the imperfections of this world,

One that will trust and obey in You,

Even when everything seems impossible. 

More songs:

Dennis Jernigan's "Who Can Satisfy My Soul"

[He has a very powerful life testimony]

Terry MacAlmon's "Holy Holy Holy Are You Lord"

[He's a wonderful songwriter and worshipleader]

Music is such a powerful tool for worshipping the Lord.

Ask the Lord to put a new song in Your heart today.

Was impacted by yesterday's praise and worship! Had a lot of fun just praising and grooving to the music. I really liked how Andrew aptly described how we tend to NOT be there for God when He needs us (to do His work), and on the contrary how God is always there for us when we need Him. He related his own experience during the service--how he missed God and what his friend told Him, that God needed him and how God was always there. How true isn't it?

As we sang the song "Draw Me Close", this prayer (the chorus) just arose in my heart:

"You're all I want

You'll all I've ever needed

You'll all I want

Help me know You are near!"


Love the last line very much cos' we always feel so far away from God (like how I felt when I was bogged down by work and was sick) and we really need to make this line a prayer in our heart. Whenever we feel that God is so far away, we need to remind ourselves that He is indeed around.

The words of each song we sang were so lovely. Throughout the service, I began to sing every one of them like a prayer that would reach His ears. It was so fun to just be in some kind of conversation with Him. As I sang, just felt the conviction from the messages transmitted in the songs. It was a totally amazing experience. The feeling of joy was so immense and enjoyable!

Hope God would impact those around me with this feeling as well.

Jesus take the wheel

Take it from my hands

'Cause I can't do this on my own

I'm letting go

Give me one more chance

Save me from this road I'm on

Jesus take the wheel

Need you badly Lord...I can't face the giant on my own
Just like how you've given David the victory, help me fight my "Goliath"
I need your extra dose of strength, wisdom, willpower, optimism and faith!