Really Walking With Faith

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight.  We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.  2 Corinthians 5:6-10

I remember many years ago when my first girlfriend broke up with me.  The feeling of being heartbroken while a distant memory is one that I still remember vividly.  I think about the weeks of sadness and emptiness afterward.  It was not a pretty or fond memory at all.  Not deterred by the moment, I had faith that one day I would find that special someone.  I said to myself, “The pain I suffer today is the price I pay for the love I want tomorrow.”  Those words were never truer as a year later, I would meet the woman who would be my wife.  She has been everything that embodies the love explained in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.  She is patient and kind, and not envious, boastful, proud, dishonoring, self-seeking, easily angered, or delighted by evil.  She always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres.  I could write forever on those verses and virtues, but today’s devotion is not about her love.  It’s about those times when darkness arises.  When you feel lost and all alone and nothing resembles hope, how can you endure?

When you have faith in God, there is always a beacon of light to follow through your darkest times.  When times are good, we enjoy life and all that surrounds it.  However when times are bad, we are often faced with pain, suffering, and or a feeling of loss or isolation.  Some may come from the loss of a spouse or family member.  Many have broken relationships and families, and others are dealing with a failure or humiliation of mass proportion.  This is where we often look to God for help, but the faulty belief is that we want God’s answer as what we envision is the best thing.  That is not faith in God.  That is faith in the desired outcome.  We must remember that faith in its very definition is confidence or trust in something.  It does not say, “Help me to get what I want.”  True faith in God says, “God, I know you are with me.  Guide me and help me to find solid ground and Your peace wherever that may be.  Provide me the light to follow You for I know all good things come from You.”  This faith says I do not know the outcome, but I trust in you the Almighty that everything will be alright.

God is always there when we need Him.  Our faith in Him requires that even when we do not see the destination, we feel His love and protection.  We know He is as David said, “Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14b)  Let us not fall into the trap of what we see, hear, or feel today.  Let us have full confidence and trust in the one who is without question the great ‘I am!’  What darkness, pain, or suffering is in your life that you need to have greater faith in God?  How can you push your desire less and trust in God more?  My prayer is that no matter how dark things may seem, we walk with faith knowing God will always make things right.  Amen !