When faith is made sight

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Why do we need faith?  Because life is meaningless without it.  That's the broad, overarching reason for it.

We also need a daily, everyday, kind of faith - for days add up to weeks, months, years, and a lifetime.

Faith is a substance.  This is a hard truth to conceptualize.  It is also evidence.  Now evidence is usually tangible, provable, rock solid in its nature.

So faith is proven evidence, it has a substance to it.  It is not some pie in the sky, wishful thinking, or dreamlike state.  It is as real as reality gets!

Faith has an end, so to speak.  We believe for something to happen - we pray about it, wait on God for it, trust Him to do what only He can do - and when He does, there you have it: the evidence of things unseen.  "It really happened!"  Yes.  No coincidence.  No reasoning it out or using science to back it up.  It just is.  Our faith made sight.

I have seen God answer so many prayers - I have 34 years' worth of prayer journals as my evidence of His faithfulness, power, and love in action.  

Are my journals nothing more than requests of God in the form of lists?  Sometimes.  More often, though, it is me pouring out my heart to Him over a matter, situation, person, or what have you.

I know He is listening.  Every.  Time.

I know He cares.  Every. Time.

And I know that only He has the power to answer those prayers, whether it is to move a human heart towards Him, heal someone, reveal His grace, provide His wisdom in any given matter - He is there, He cares, and He answers.

If this doesn't blow your mind, nothing will. 

The God of the universe - and all universes, for that matter - the God who numbers each and every star and calls them each by name (Psalm 147:4).  Pause.  Wow.  What a God!  - that same God listens to each and every one of our prayers and answers each one.

Have I seen some prayers go unanswered?  No.  Not a one.  Now that's not to say that all of my prayers have been answered in just the way I want, exactly when I want.  No, God rarely works that way - and thankfully so!

Am I still waiting for some to be answered?  Yes.

Has God's answer ever disappointed?  Yes.

Does God ever say, No?  Yes!

So you see, there are all kinds of answers to our prayers.

I cannot fathom His awesome ways, and neither can you.  

So when a prayer seemingly goes unanswered, God is still working on it, or He is testing our faith, or He has better in mind!  But whatever He is up to, we can trust that it is for our absolute best.  Period.

We have this substance, this evidence, this faith in our lives as Christians.  We own this substance because it is the gift of God.  It is the priceless treasure that makes life worth living.  

Today is yet another dark, gray, cold, wintry day outside. But in my heart, the sun is shining full blast!  This faith, this substance, this evidence is all in there, lighting up my life.  Giving me hope, heart, purpose, and strength.  Not as a crutch, mind you, but as very life itself.  Substance.  Evidence.  Got faith?

Oh Lord.  The beauty and awesomeness of faith overwhelms me sometimes.  Today is one of those days.  I admit that other days, I take it for granted.  So I thank You for opening my heart, mind, and eyes today to see just what I have in You, in this faith, in this treasure.  I thank You for hearing each and every one of my many (!) prayers and answering each one perfectly - not always how I want, but perfectly nonetheless.  For You always know exactly what You are doing, gracious Father.  I love You and praise You today and always.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.


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