Why I Have Faith

I'm starting this post while hooked up to the IV getting my third dose of chemo.  I say "starting" because there's a good chance that I'll lose focus or dose off but I wanted to write while I had something fresh on my mind. A few people have remarked over the past couple of months about how strong my faith is.  This means a lot to me because my faith is foundational to who I am and it's reassuring that this is what comes out during a difficult set of circumstances. I attribute the strength and peace that I have to the many prayers that are being prayed on my behalf.  But my personal faith, this confident assurance that I have in my innermost being, is something that has been built up slowly over the years.  Its not just hope (although I do hope I get better.)  It's more than my positive attitude; it's actually the source of it.  And it's not a blind faith.  Years ago I learned that it was possible to have a relationship with God and I decided that I wanted that in my life. I prayed simple prayers where I just talked to God, something like "I don't know how this is going to work since I don't think you speak audibly to people anymore, but I'd like to know you." After that I started seeing God revealing Himself to me subtly, through people coming into my life, through circumstances, and passages in the Bible seemingly speaking directly to what I was dealing with in life. There were opportunities for me to take hold of.  I saw small prayers being answered and God directing my steps.  As I trusted Him to lead me, my faith grew.  

Round 3!

A few weeks ago I was browsing through radio stations in the car and stopped on a station where a guy named James McDonald was speaking. At that moment he said "God did not promise a life without storms. He promised that if we build our house on the foundation of obedience to Jesus that our house will not fall when the storms come."  So that's where I am during this trial.  I chose a relationship with God and to try to follow the principles in the Bible as a guide for the decisions I make in life.  I have seen God direct my path up to this point and give me the ability to be a better husband and father than I ever could have been on my own. For those reasons I know that He is not done with me yet and there is a continued purpose for my life.

Two of the purposes I have in life

I was talking with a friend recently who had lost someone very close to him. He wasn't mad at God but he was searching for something deeper. My only advice was to just ask Him. We too often think that we have to clean up our lives before approaching God, when He takes care of the cleaning after we acknowledge our need for Him and begin seeking Him. It's a life long process that no one will ever get perfectly right, but we have the opportunity to get closer than we were before. To build that relationship, that unshakeable foundation so that when the storms do come (and they will), we have that Source of strength and peace right at our side. 

One of my favorite examples of faith is in Daniel 3:13-18.  "Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

That's how I'm approaching this from the spiritual perspective; the God I serve is able to deliver me from this, and He will.  But even if He does not, it doesn't change my faith and devotion.  Note: the Bible also says in James 2:17 that faith without works is dead, and I certainly believe that God also works through modern medicine among other means, hence the chemotherapy, nutrition, acupuncture, yoga, etc. that I'm also doing.  

As I enter a difficult week, I'm going to post a few verses that continually encourage me below the song,  These may encourage you, too.  This song is also very uplifting and a good fit for this week.   

Psalm 16:8 - "I have set The Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."

Psalm 9:9-10 -  "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."

Psalm 27:13, 14 - "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose"

Psalms 118:17  - "I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the lord has done. "

Psalm 119:50 - "My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life."

Psalm 145:18,19 - "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them."

James 5:11 - "As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy."