Are You Living From Fact or Faith
Why do we spend so much time wrestling with what we don’t know?
We long to know. We find our security in the god of KNOWING. We google, read, google some more, and ask all the questions. We spend hours and days and sometimes months and years searching. We have to know more about whatever our current struggle is. We are convinced we will be more peaceful if we “know.”
But how many times have you become “satisfied you have found the truth” about a matter only to turn around and hear that the exact opposite is true?
Or when have you ever STAYED peaceful? I would venture to say that god drags you on to the next thing and the next continually searching.
“Knowing” will never fully suffice.
"It's Not by Might" (16 x 20 mixed media on gallery canvas)
Thank God.
Seriously.
If our knowing truly gave us peace then we wouldn’t need Him. Our knowing would supplant Him as THE ONE TRUE GOD in our lives. We will never find true and lasting comfort in knowledge. We are trying to live from facts. Hard, true, unchanging facts. We live a lot of our lives striving for facts. And most of the time our questions are valid cares and concerns.
But what we are invited into is FAITH.
And this is why it is God’s grace that facts won’t fill our deep need. He knows that the only way we will truly experience lasting peace is when we trust Him more than our knowing. When faith in the God who created the universe kicks our determination to find peace somewhere else to the curb.
Anytime we are struggling there is an opportunity to learn something about the character of God that we don’t yet know.
"It's Not By Power" (16 x 20 mixed media on gallery canvas)
“The more comfortable we are with mystery in our journey, the more rest we will know along the way.”
The story of Jesus multiplying the loaves and fishes comes to mind. It was late and people were hungry. The disciples were like me…they were wanting to figure it all out. “What do we do Lord? We don’t have enough money to buy food to feed all these people.” Their struggle was a valid concern. They wanted to help.
But Jesus knew there was more about himself they could learn—that they didn’t even know was possible. He took what was available and multiplied it before their eyes. And just to make sure they didn’t miss it, He had them each gather up a basket of leftovers. Jesus did what was impossible. They had no frame of reference for what was possible. They were trying to use what they had and knew and He was inviting them to trust Him.
I think He laughed as they saw the little fish and loaves feed thousands. It had to have been delightful to see them realize what had happened right before their eyes.
What are you struggling with today?
"By My Spirit" (16 x 20 mixed media on gallery canvas)
The struggle is not the problem. We will have struggles and there is no shame in having them.
The question is what are we doing with the struggles?
The first step is taking a moment to see the struggle. To stop when head to someone or something other than God in search of our peace. Pause for a moment and see where we are trying to find our comfort. Recognition is a big part of the journey.
In that space, I repent. “Father, forgive me for turning to anyone or anything other than You for my needs. And this is a need I have. I choose right now to trust You alone with this need. Help me to navigate this hard place with You. Help me to trust You more. Open my ears and heart to hear from You. Amen”
He is trustworthy.
He is faithful.
He is with us.
He wants to help.
Let’s bring Him our striving and lay it down at His feet.
It is exhausting. Life is too short to carry this burden.
And instead, let’s do something delightful. Try something that lifts your mood. What do you enjoy? Dancing? Turn on some praise music and dance before the Lord. The outdoors? Take a walk or go on a hike and just spend some time enjoying God’s creation. There may be a thousand different responses. But the point is to turn your thoughts from the problem to the Solution.
And don’t be surprised if you are given an opportunity to share about this shift with someone else. This is a message we need to be sharing with others. So many don’t even know we have options. Your testimony can make a difference in the life of a friend!
Also, feel free to share this article with a friend you may want to encourage!
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