I have faith. A lot of faith. Tons and tons of faith in lots and lots of things.
I have faith that the chair I'm sitting in right now will stay solid and strong enough to continue to hold me up for as long as I continue to sit in it. I may not think about it again once I'm done typing this sentence.
I had faith that my car would get me home this morning from my shopping expedition. More pointedly, as I was driving, I had faith that when I approached a stop sign or a red light, my brake pedal would indeed stop the car in sufficient time to prevent any contact with cars or other objects. For that matter, every time I drive on the roads, I have faith that every other vehicle on the roads is being driven by someone who will follow the laws of safe driving: staying on their side of the road, stopping at their red lights, etcetera, etcetera.
I have faith that the power will continue to function in my home so that the food I've stored in the refrigerator remains edible. I have faith that my version of the English language matches yours closely enough for you to understand the messages that are coming from my brain through my fingers to the computer through the internet to your computer to your eyes (or ears) into your brain.
But most important, I have faith in God. Not just the general concept of God, either, but YHWH, Elohim, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the Holy Trinity Father of Creation, the Son of Man, and the Holy Spirit.
Now, what does that really mean?
I don't simply have faith that He exists, of course. I have faith in His Power, His inherent goodness, and His Love for not just me but all of His Children.
I have faith in the fact that when I pray to Him, He will listen and do what He knows is best for me.
And I have faith in the validity of Scripture, of His Word to His children, and in particular His promise through the apostle Paul in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for good for those of us who have faith in Him. because as He tells us through the prophet Jeremiah (29:11) that He has plans of good and not of evil for us. My fate is in God's omniscient Hands.
Many people have faith - but too many have faith in the wrong things, or for the wrong purpose, or believe that faith itself is the key, rather than He Whom you have faith IN.
If you think that your faith alone makes your belief come true, let me ask you a hypothetical: what if you have faith that gravity doesn't affect you?
Does that change reality? Can you suddenly fly?
No? Wonder why...
In Shakespeare's Taming Of The Shrew, Petruchio in his wooing of the tempestuous Katherine tests her obedience to him by telling her repeatedly that "I say that it is the moon which shines so brightly in the sky". Katherine knows, of course, that his claim is not only false but blatantly false. It doesn't matter how much he (or she) believes it's the moon...that belief, that faith doesn't change reality. IT'S THE SUN. (Sorry, Petruchio.)
The prosperity gospel preachers - the Joel Osteens, the Benny Hinns, the Creflo Dollars of the world - preach the highly-non-Biblical concept that faith alone will bring you your wildest dreams. But your faith is only as good as what you have faith in - and if what you have faith in are the words of a preacher who makes millions of dollars each year off suckers like you who send them money for confirming your dreams rather than preaching the Gospel, then your faith is as valuable as their lies.
What do you have faith in? If you have faith in your car's brakes, then your faith is only as good as those brakes themselves. If you have faith in yourself, then you're only as good as your training and strength and talent.
And if you have faith in the Creator of the Universe? Then your faith is as good as all of creation.
On the other hand, 1.5 billion Muslims have faith in a false god, Allah, who is not the same as the Lord Almighty. It doesn't matter that they pray five times a day, facing Mecca, focusing on their Allah with their most fervent prayers. If you're praying to an idol that cannot do anything for you, then all the prayers in the world cannot do anything for you.
Have faith in the living God. Build your relationship of love with Him, and He will hear your prayers. What He does with them is another question, for He knows your needs better than you do.
But if you don't have that relationship with God, don't expect that all the prayers in the world, all the faith you might have in Him will have much effect. Start by building that relationship with God: read your Bible, pray and listen to God regularly, attend church and share your faith regularly.
Sounds so simple, doesn't it? Well, it is. At least, with a little faith, it is....
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