Broken Faith

Today's Reading: Ruth 1; Psalm 61; & 2 Corinthians 5

Scripture:
"Therefore, always being of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord- for we walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:6-7

Observation:
Not so much. That is the honest answer I would often have to give if someone asked me if my faith produced a courage that was greater than what could be seen. There certainly are times when my faith holds firm but if the circumstances intensify enough; I fold. True faith does not shrink away. It produces courage. It assures of the end. It rises above what can be seen.

Application:
Faith is more than a feeling. It is more than a blind belief in something unknown. Faith is a system of truth upon which I rely. For instance, I have faith that my truck will be in the driveway in the morning. I have faith that it will crank. While on my way to work I generally have faith that each passing car will not cross over to my side of the road. My history in these matters has proven the outcomes to be reliable and good.

But what if the circumstances change? What if car theft became common in my neighborhood? What if my truck started breaking down? What if there became an outbreak of people crossing the mid-line and hitting cars head on? Things would become different. I would have to check and see if my truck were in the driveway each morning. I would be a little nervous before I turned the key. I would flinch each time I passed a car. My faith in my truck would be broken.

If I am not careful my faith in God ends up broken. There is only one thing in this world that is certain; life here is broken. This is not home. While I am here there will be troubles. If my faith does not address this I will constantly wake up full of doubts. I will be nervous anytime I must stand on faith. I will always be on guard for something hitting me out of nowhere.

Prayer:
Father, I try and use my faith to pad my life. I am not trying to be evil when I do this, just comfortable. But sin is sin. I place my desire to feel something comforting over my need to live my life on mission for You. That is sin and I confess it to You.

I pray that You affirm my faith. Build up inside of me a strong fortress that always produces courage and never folds under the weight of trials and tests. I ask that the love of Christ control my every thought and emotion. Help me to see the new creature I became when I accepted Your grace and surrendered to You as Savior and Lord.