Issue 954 – Leap of Faith – January 10, 2023
Working up the nerve, I crawled up the open door of the little Cessna aircraft. The amount of air pressure holding me in the plane surprised me. It took quite a bit of physical effort to crawl out. Balancing precariously on the little foothold, I positioned my hands on the strut.
With my heart beating so fast I thought it would explode through my chest, I passed up the last chance to get back in the plane, arched my back and let go. It was both exhilarating and terrifying to see the plane fly away and realize that I was thousands of feet up in the air, held up by a little piece of fabric.
I had put my faith in the skill of the chute packer and gambled life and limb. The landing was not so smooth, I ended up in a gopher hole and doing some damage to my ankle, leg and knee, but that is a story for another day.
At some time, usually, far more often than we realize, we step out in faith. It is not typically as dramatic as skydiving, but it takes faith nonetheless. When we set our alarm clock, it is a move of faith. We have faith that the alarm will awaken us and that we will be alive to hear it. When we flick a light switch on, it is an act of faith. We have faith that the electricity will be there and the light will come on.
Faith is part of our every day lives.
John the Baptizer had faith. He cried out and prepared the way for the Lord his entire life. Toward the end of his life, John sat in a prison cell awaiting death. He wondered if he had placed his faith in the right one. John sent word about his doubts to Jesus via some disciples.
And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'” Luke 7:20
Jesus replied strangely.
In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Luke 7:21-23
John had seen all the evidence. Holy Spirit had testified to John even before he was born (Luke 1:39-42). Now John sat in a prison cell. He wondered if he followed the wrong man, in which case he wasted his life. If he had followed the right man, that man had the power to save John’s life and was not doing so. What a dilemma!
Sometimes God allows us to be in places we do not want to be. It takes faith to trust, even in those situations. Even amid those trials, there is blessing. Look at Jesus’ words again, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”
Kathy and I were talking about these verses some time ago, and she hit the nail on the head. She said that our true love of God shines through when we feel we have every reason to be offended or disappointed by what God is doing, and we choose by faith to continue to trust.
John did just that. He never saw the resurrection. He went to the grave with only a promise of things yet to come. We know of the resurrection as a historical fact. We can rely on that as proof that He fulfils His promises.
The foundation of our Christian walk is based on the fulfilled promise of Christ (his birth, sinless life, death in our place and resurrection) and our faith in Him.
Until next time, hold fast to your faith, no matter your circumstances. Blessings are and will be yours for doing so.
Be Blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
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All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2023 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin Gleanings From The Word.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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