By Jill Roberts and Michael Canalé
In Michael’s and my further discussions about faith, Michael spoke of and compared secular faith with that of faith in God, both of which were introduced in last week’s blog. So profoundly, he said,
“ Faith in people and things gives you strength, but faith in God gives you power.”
This week, we will look more deeply into the above, that is, Michael’s analysis of what faith is and why it is the subject of so many chapters and verses in Scripture, passages that affirm his assessment of it.
To understand the pinnacle of faith, I.e. faith in God, the Bible, interestingly, sets forth many examples of a lesser faith – a firm belief in people and things. This kind of strong belief is always considered by God, in that He looks closely at our fidelity to mere persons and secular matters, in general, to see how passionate and loyal is our devotion to these. When He sees true commitment, He knows that we possess the potential to transfer that earnest dedication to faith in Him. Once THAT happens, as Michael says, there can occur the bestowing of divine POWER in our lives.
Before a person has faith in God, Himself, that individual, as portrayed in Scripture, often goes through a preliminary stage of this lesser faith. A perfect example is the life of Saul and his transition to Paul. As we studied in an earlier blog, but in a different vein, Saul was a man on a mission – a horribly evil one. He was devoted to persecuting Christians. In this kind of faith, as to his cause, he obtained strength. God, in Jesus, observed Paul’s utter dedication and, amazingly, said, “This is a man I can use!” He transformed Saul from a monster to a Jesus follower. In so doing, he gave Paul REAL POWER, what only God can give. Michael is right, faith in God gives you POWER. In Paul’s case, he conquered spiritual kingdoms for the Lord, wrote two-thirds of the New Testament and healed the sick. Faith, outside that in God, cannot EVER result in this kind of empowerment:
“God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.”
(Acts 19:11-12) NIV
Paul, himself, would later write about the difference between the faith in things that results in strength and the faith in God that results in power, as Michael has said and which is the central theme of this week’s blog. Paul states,
“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
(1 Timothy 4:8) NIV
If we have demonstrative faith in exercise, we will gain strength. If we have faith in God, we will gain power – resurrection power over death in our eternity. That is quite a dichotomy! We should faithfully exercise because strength is very important, but if we wish to be truly empowered in this life and in the world to come, it is faith in God, alone, that carries the day.
Michael’s opening declaration regarding these juxtaposed kinds of faith, is further borne out in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah. This is a fascinating verse in Scripture, one we looked at in an earlier blog, but for a very different reason.
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.”
(Isaiah 6:1) NIV
Isaiah had had great faith in this person, King Uzziah, a very popular monarch. From this devotion, he had gotten strength in the worldly sense of the word. However, it was not until King Uzziah died, that he saw the Lord God, high and exalted, that is, as He truly is. His FAITH SHIFTED from a person, the King, to God, the reservoir of true POWER. In Isaiah’s case, he first got the power to see himself and the world as they really were. Isaiah is writing in the first person:
“Woe to me,’ I cried. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen THE KING, THE LORD ALMIGHTY.” (emphasis added)
(Isaiah 6:5) NIV
True power came when he moved his allegiance from a world leader to the Creator of the world. Might came only after he quit comparing himself to another man, even an Earthly king, and started seeing himself next to the Lord, “seated on a throne, the train of his robe filling the temple.” We often say, “Well, next to so and so, I look pretty good.” That’s right. However, that is not the standard set forth in the Bible. We arrive at a more realistic view of self when we apply this Scriptural yardstick – how does our holiness match up to the Holy, Almighty God? Like Isaiah, we then see ourselves and our world as we are – in need of God and FAITH IN HIM Who, alone, can deliver us from ourselves.
After Isaiah transitioned to this state of mind, he became “power material,” in God’s eyes. As such, God gave him immense power to serve Him as one of His major prophets to Israel.
Like Paul, like Isaiah, once a person passes from faith in worldly people and things, everything changes. Jesus said something so descriptive of this change. He had been teaching the crowds, who were following him, standing in some of the disciples’ boat, as it was anchored slightly off shore:
“After teaching from a boat, Jesus said, ‘Put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch.”
(LUKE 5:4) NIV
How this verse illustrates Michael’s point. When you shift your faith to God, you move to the deeper water of FAITH and POWER, the kind of power that is spiritually productive for both self and the world around us. With regard to each, our metaphorical nets will be full to the brim, heavy with victory.
Last week, we wrote an entire blog on one of the richest verses in all of Scripture, Hebrews 11:1. This week, we want to look beyond that verse, but stay in the beauty and inspiration of Hebrews, Chapter 11, aptly known for chronicling the great heroes whose faith in God was so exceptional that it landed them there. The featured men and women received power from God because of their uncompromising faith in Him.
Noah, for example, had never seen rain and yet, upon God’s instructions, he built an ark that saved mankind and the animal kingdom as well:
“By faith, Noah, being warned of things NOT SEEN…” (emphasis added)
(Hebrews 11:7) KJV
How the people of that day must have laughed at him, to build a huge boat in the middle of dry, landlocked land. Noah is a hero of the faith because his belief in God and what He said, were more powerful than the world’s derision.
Abraham made it into the Hebrews 11 gallery of faith for a number of reasons, all centering on the following:
“By faith, Abraham…went out NOT KNOWING whither he went.”(emphasis added)
(Hebrews 11:8) KJV
When he was 75 years old,
“ The LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I WILL SHOW YOU.”
(emphasis added)
(Genesis 12:1) NIV
How many of us would even consider such a direction! We would want more information at the least. We would ask why must I go and where, exactly, is this place. Yet, Abram , untethered by the familiar in his life, left his prosperity and city life to live in a tent in the wilderness. His wife, Sarai, went with him and delivered a promised child at ninety. Why?
“…because she judged him FAITHFUL, Who had promised.” (emphasis added)
(Hebrews 11:11) KJV
They produced their son, Issac, and, in the full breadth of their goodness, they received the POWER of true legacy – Jesus was born in their line!
We have only written about a few of the champions of faith but, of all, we can make this statement:
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth…But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly; wherefore God…hath prepared for them a city.”
Hebrews 11:13-16) KJV
This is the faith in God of which Michael is speaking – the kind that is a blueprint of power. It reminds me of a great quote by a man named Rabindrarath Tagore:
“The one who plants trees, knowing he will never sit in their shade, has, at least, started to understand the meaning of life.”
This is Faith…the kind written about by Martin Luther King, Jr., when he penned,
“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.”
We are not called by God to KNOW everything before we take that first step, walking obediently, as He asks. In fact, we are called to the opposite:
“Jesus said unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.”
(John 20:29) KJV
Our friends, Hebrews 12 follows this stunning, beautiful chapter on faith and it reminds us of something so comforting. That is, as we persevere, we must remember,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of WITNESSES…” (emphasis added)
(Hebrews 12:1-2)
Yes, as established in last week’s blog, our faith rests on solid rock, on witnesses for this God Who is faithful and trustworthy. We can count on Him to know what is best. And, yes, as Michael says so well, when our true faith is in the Almighty God, we will receive power like we’ve never known before.
What an image Michael has brought us – that faith in God gives us power, just like it did in the times of Noah, Abraham and Sarah. What a privilege to, as the old hymn says, “Lean on the Everlasting Arms,” as he bestows on us His power to better serve the Kingdom.
There was a phrase on a sign outside a church which later became the title of an article. Today, Michael and I want to use it to close this week’s blog. When we speak of this faith that we have in the God of the Ages, and He gives us power, truly,
“We Talk of Holy Things.”
Amen!