A Little Faith Please
If you have ever been seriously ill or have been challenged by prolonged pain, you are very aware how we continually hope for a miracle touch that will bring some kind of relief or divine intervention. It is easy to feel hopeless or faithless when long battles bring weariness or despair.
Richard and I continued in our commitment to attend church regularly and it was not uncommon to see me going forward for prayer. Whenever there was a call for prayer I was there, hoping for the glorious moment when the pain would vanish. There were some in our congregation who looked at me with eyes of compassion; but there were others who observed me with suspicion as if to say “What sin have you committed that has kept you from being healed?” I began to feel like a leper. Saints would sometimes “encourage” me with “You just don’t have enough faith!” That would really lift my spirit. Week after week going forward for healing and prayer sometimes resulted in a few days of relief, but the pain would always return. I found myself spiraling downward to the depth of shame and despair crying out to God to “Just take my life!” I knew I had become a burden to my husband and family. The medical bills and doctor visits were our “recreational” time together. This pain and agony was eating away our lives. After years and years of feeling debilitated, I didn’t know if I could take it anymore. I felt I would never have enough faith. I was tired of suffering. I just wanted it all to end.
Years into my journey I would discover I did indeed have enough faith – just as you do dear friend. Romans 12:3b states that “…God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” All we need is the mustard seed faith God has already measured to us to believe. And even in those moments when our faith may seem to waiver or we are just too weak to stand, a simple request for Him to help us is all that is required. “Jesus, help me,” has sometimes been the only phrase I could speak. God has always arrived to love me, encourage me and give me strength to endure, and He will do the same for you. For many years I lived without being able to recognize the truth in my life and why I had to endure such pain and loss. I submitted to the deception that God had left me, as I listened to Job’s comforters confronting me and telling me I did not have “enough faith.” How deceived I was to engage in such a belief. As a child of God I have entered into His covenant. Would I not realize that He, as the greater party in the covenant, would supply for me what I needed?
God seems mysterious sometimes, but in His loving kindness He is able to impart to us the Gift of Faith (1 Corinthians 12:7-10) to help move impossible situations out of our lives. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). As we begin to search and study God’s word, we begin to hear God’s promises and directions. Faith grows. We become encouraged, hope is birthed in our mind, and our way of thinking or perceiving is renewed (Ephesians 4:23). He gives us the faith and strength for every challenge.
As we stand in faith, fear will usually try to make an appearance. Fear likes to negatively move us into our future with “What if, I ought to, or I should.” It tries to paralyze and intimidate by manifesting as anxiety, panic, phobias, paranoia, delusions, agoraphobia, claustrophobia and more. Scripture tells us God is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9); and as we choose to seek Him and learn to let go of the things that easily beset us, He promises to reward us (Hebrews 11:6). He truly desires to “give good things” to His children (Matthew 7:11).
It is also God’s desire for us to have an intimate relationship with Him and to know Him (John 17:3). He is a righteous Father who forgives and heals us. When challenges surround me and I feel alone, Psalm 103 encourages me and reminds me of our Father’s wonderful nature and love. “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name…Forget not His benefits, Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle, He performs righteous deeds….He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounds in loving kindness…He has not dealt with us according to our sin, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities…great is His loving kindness to those who fear Him…”
God once said to His prophet Isaiah that His people were in captivity for lack of knowledge (Isaiah 5:13). He also shared with Hosea that His people were destroyed for their lack of knowledge because they rejected knowledge (Hosea 4:6). God is telling us that we, His people, are often silenced or cut short by our lack of understanding, insight, or perception. So it is important for us to seek after truth and not dismiss revelation we receive. The wisdom and knowledge we need for life is found in His word, and as we choose to commit ourselves to the study and meditation of Scripture, direction and answers to our questions and concerns will unfold.
Life is a journey of experiences and unexpected turns and twists. Sometimes we are able to make sense of what is presented to us and sometimes it is quite challenging and we can enter into confusion and despair. Whatever life experiences we encounter, God wants us to have wisdom and understanding. He tells us to acquire knowledge. We are encouraged by God to search for Him and His truth; to ask Him for wisdom and to desire His revelation. His imparted knowledge will bring life, hope and vision to those who choose a quest to know Him. His words will build faith. The search for wisdom and truth can be long and arduous as well as frustrating; but when you find it, you will experience clarity, peace, comfort, and the tree of life.
Negative Beliefs:
Scripture may work for others but it won’t work for me.
I don’t really care what God says in His word. It isn’t important for me.
God evidently doesn’t care if I am well or not.
If He loves me so much and died for me, why do I hurt so much?
People expect me to be happy all the time.
I can never do enough for my family or God.
If I fail, I won’t be loved.
If everybody else would just do what I want them to my life would be fine.
I can never live up to God’s standards, so why try?
Scriptural Truths:
Understanding God’s principles and precepts brings life.
My fear of rejection may keep me from embracing God’s love and being able to
sense the joy of His total acceptance.
When I am able to accept my weakness, God can then be strong in my life.
I will never find contentment trying to please others more than God.
Scriptural Meditations: “It is written…”
Proverbs 1:33 – “But he who listens to me shall live securely, and shall be at ease from the dread of evil.”
Proverbs 4:20-23 – “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my saying. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them and health to all their whole body.”
Proverbs 3: 5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.”
Isaiah 41: 10 – “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
John 3:16 – “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
Luke 15: 31 – “My child, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours.”
*Taken from Chapter 2 – “Mustard Seed Faith” from “If I’m Healed By His Stripes, Then Why Do I Still Hurt?”
