Faith is
a funny thing. I mean we all need it to survive. We have to believe in
certain things to make it day to day even if it is that the day will end
soon or that tomorrow will be a better day. Sometimes though we have to
admit that it is hard to believe in things and other people let alone
ourselves. To take it a step further, it is harder to believe that other
people believe in us when we know how much we believe in ourselves and we
realize the levels don't always match. Our faith can be affected by so many
different factors that we have no control of. But I imagine that the biggest
factor that affects our faith is ourselves (at least it is in my life).
We all have a preset connotation of what we think we are capable of doing.
We all know that we have limits and boundaries that are hard for us to
surpass. Then God comes into the picture. In my life He has asked me to go
beyond those limits that I had set for myself and go into areas I would
never had thought of entering and do things that I had never considered or
brushed off if I had thought of them. I would never had thought that at this
point in my hearts desire would be to minister the Word of God to the world
and make disciples out of as many people as possible. I didn't think that I
would be equipped, qualified, or even wanting to accomplish a task like
that.
Looking back into the Bible we see that this frame of mind and the call of
God were a common thing amongst those who had called. Moses was fearful that
the call God had given to him was far too great for his abilities. He didn't
speak well and was not the leader God was asking him to be. There is
something that Moses never considered and sometimes we fail to remember if
God calls us he is going to make sure that we have all that we need to
succeed in His calling. His glory depends on our success. God provided Aaron
to Moses to be his spokesman. He provided signs and wonders to help
establish Moses as the Messenger of God in the sight of the Egyptian
Pharaoh. God also called Abraham into a new and strange land that would be
his promised land for him and his generations that would follow. He left his
home with his family based solely on the promise that God would fulfill His
promise and deliver him a new homeland where he and his family would
prosper. The Bible says that he stayed in that new land as if he were living
in a foreign land living in tents as if he were a visitor and not the new
owner. I am sure (only because he was human) that there were times in the
tents when he was unsure of what he had heard and questioned his own faith.
I am also sure (since his promised land was established and his generations
were blessed and prosperous) that he realized that Gods glory depended on
the fulfillment of His promises and His faithfulness to see them to
completion.
I have come to realize that Gods glory depends on my success in
accomplishing His will and purpose. As long as I take my direction from God
and His word then I will be successful in all I undertake. I have also come
to realize that God is big. Real big. He sees the whole picture where we
might only be privy to what we see in front of us. He sees what we see plus
what is in the future, what is behind us, and the other players on the board
and their moves. He sees the outcome and directs us to that goal. I also
know now that when God asks me to go somewhere that is unfamiliar to me or
to do something that is uncomfortable for me that I am never alone. He goes
with me and ahead of me.
I guess I have said all of this to hear myself say: if God believes in me,
has chosen me and has faith that I can do His will and serve His purpose,
who am I to argue?