“There is only one way for faith to die. You kill it.” When you are all alone in that hospital corridor, dizzy with the sickening stench of disinfectants and blood in your nostrils… when the only sounds you hear are the rush of the nurses’ and doctors’ feet and the terrifying beeps of life monitors… when the only people around are either the dying, the dead, the soon-to-be bereaved and the grieving… can you be faulted for killing your faith?
“There is only one way for faith to work. You exercise it.” Can it! Can you be faulted if you seek for other ways to strengthen your faith?! Can you help it if living the life of an invisible pariah is preferable to wearing your faith like a badge when you know that the moment you do so you could be labelled a freak? Bullied? And cast out? High school doesn’t end in just a day, for goodness’ sake!
“There is only one way for faith to be exercised. You live it.” Why can’t you be allowed to compromise once in a while? Or, at the very least, just this once? This one is a deal breaker! The one opportunity that you’ve worked for all your life! Does my whole life have to be a consistent living of faith? Can’t God close His eyes to this moment, just this once?
Since when is God one who can be predicted, who can be contained, and who can be rendered powerless? Since when is His desire to work in our lives thwarted by circumstances and extinguished by agony? Since when is His power to touch others been a burden to our dreams, a load that must be borne? Since when is His plan in our lives for the downgrade of our aspirations, for the worse?
Immeasurably. Why have we allowed ourselves to forget –
His faithfulness is beyond what our minds can comprehend – He allows the rain to fall and the sun to shine on both ‘the righteous and the wicked’… both on those who believe in Him and those who do not.
His love is beyond what our hearts can fathom – it is within His power to create a new world inhabited by a new race yet He chose to sacrifice His only begotten Son to save us.
His plans for us are beyond our imagination – time and time again, He has proven that what He has in store for us, in the end, is exponentially superior to what we could’ve possibly set for ourselves had we been supernaturally empowered ourselves.
Immeasurably. Now is there still any reason out there that’s keeping you from getting down on your knees? Have faith. Pray.