Faith Without Wavering

It's now 4:43pm, on Sunday afternoon. I'm presently in Box Hill Hospital (the family brought along my laptop today, since I was feeling up to doing a bit of writing - although today's post will probably be a lot shorter). You will find out more details on my medical status from the Prayer Firewall, but in short, I was admitted to the emergency section of the hospital on Thursday night (in case you've been wondering why I haven't been blogging for the last few days) with a severe bowel obstruction, directly related to my gastro-cancer. It was a very rough couple of days over Thursday and Friday (tubes up my nose, canulas in my arm, that sort of thing) but by Saturday I was beginning to rally and it looks I'll be out on the road again by Tuesday).

Having been through this difficult episode, I must say that my faith remains strong in the healing touch of the Lord. In fact, stronger than ever. I've witnessed the grace of God in action in the worst of circumstances, and I'm so grateful for his presence in my life, which makes all the difference.

There is an old adage that speaks of "blind faith," but true faith in God is not blind. It fully takes into account the nature of the situation, but sees beyond the circumstances to another, more certain reality. This is why 2 Corinthians 5:7 says: "We live by faith, not by sight." Rather than being blind faith, faith is in fact seeing on another level. For as Hebrews 11:1 (New Living Translation) tells us:

"What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see."

Abraham is given to us as the great example of faith. Take a look at how Romans 4:18-21 describes the faith of Abraham:

"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised."

Do you notice that Abraham didn't ignore the facts. He didn't play down the situation, as if it were not real. It was "against all hope" that Abraham "in hope believed." He "faced the fact that his body was as good as dead" and that "Sarah's womb was also dead," yet he did so "without weakening in his faith." Abraham's faith wasn't blind; he simply saw a different set of facts, based not on his circumstances but on the promise of God.

In the same way, Hebrews 11:11-12 says:

"By faith Abraham, even though he was past age and Sarah herself was barren, was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore."

My situation, like Abraham's, is grim. I too have to face the sobering fact that my body is "as good as dead." Yet by faith, I'm facing that fact but with my eyes on a different reality, one dictated to by the promise of God.

I stand on the promise of God, and my faith is firmly fixed on what I see beyond the circumstances. God has promised to heal me, and that's good enough for me.

Amen.