While recently reading through Matthew 8 & 9, the emphasis on faith stood out to me – the faith of the leper (8:2), the faith of the centurion (8:5-13), the lack of faith of the disciples (8:26), the faith of the dead girl’s father (9:18), the faith of the bleeding woman (9:20-22), and the faith of the two blind men (9:27-29). In these two chapters alone, faith is mentioned in at least six instances. Later, in chapter 17, Jesus teaches that, even with a small amount of faith, we can move mountains and nothing will be impossible (v. 20). What does all of this tell us? I think the message is clear that having faith is a critical and indispensable part of the Christian life.
Hebrews 11 is a virtual “Who’s Who” of the Christian faith. Some have referred to this chapter as the “Faith Hall of Fame.” This is also the chapter that teaches us it is impossible to please God without faith (v. 6) and that defines faith as having confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (v. 1). In Hebrews 10, faith is equated and/or related to full assurance (v. 22), holding on unswervingly to hope (v. 23), endurance (v. 32), confidence (v. 35), perseverance (v. 36), and not shrinking back (vv. 38-39).
Most people are now familiar with the story of Dr. Kent Brantly, the physician serving with Samaritan’s Purse in Liberia who contracted Ebola but has since recovered from the disease. As a fellow Samaritan’s Purse employee, I can attest to the fact that our staff at our international headquarters in Boone, North Carolina were fervently praying for him and praying IN FAITH. I have shared with others that, in my almost 18 years with Samaritan’s Purse, this is the single most unifying event that I can recall among our staff. We were united in prayer for Dr. Brantly’s life to be spared and God’s gracious delivery of him was one of the most faith-building experiences in both our organization’s history and my own personal walk.
At one point, while praying for Dr. Brantly, I believed and felt assurance (in other words, I had FAITH) that God would spare his life so that the testimony that would follow his healing would bring glory to His Name. At the same time, I fully recognized that God’s will would be done and that He might choose for the situation to turn out differently. So how do you reconcile those two seemingly contradictory outcomes? Did my ability to understand the possibility of both diminish my faith or cause my faith to be ill-placed? How could I say I had full assurance of one thing and yet allow room for the possibility of another thing? For sure, none of us are God or can profess to know His mind or all of His ways. Ultimately, what I was placing my full confidence (i.e. faith) in was not so much that Dr. Brantly’s situation would turn out one way over another, but in the ultimate goodness and omniscience of a loving God Who does nothing without a divine and eternal purpose.
A Facebook cover image that I recently saw stated: “AND IF NOT, HE IS STILL GOOD.” This is a paraphrase from the story of Daniel, who said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. BUT EVEN IF HE DOES NOT, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods….” This is stated in another way in Romans 14:8 and was echoed by Dr. Brantly as he contemplated his own future during his sickness – “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
And that, my friends, is FAITH.