“Show God your faith and He will show you His faithfulness.”
I’ve been pondering over this quote for about a week now, wondering why it’s so stuck in my mind. It makes sense to think that faith would be rewarded with a follow-through, but then I considered the fact that “reward” may not be the word I’m searching for. Then I looked back at the first word: show. How do I “show” God that I have faith that he will provide for me? Am I literally supposed to sit here and point at my fundraising goal and be like, “See? I am trusting that you’re going to provide this!” Or does it mean something entirely different?
As you can very well see at the top of this page, my monetary goal is quite large. Maybe not to someone with hundred-dollar bills in his pockets, but to someone who at the end of her 2-week pay period has exactly enough for tithe and one tall Starbucks coffee (for my intentional coffee date with the mentor that the World Race asked me to pursue), it’s a lot of money. Looking at this goal makes me a little weak in the knees, but then I remember that quote and try to relate it to some biblical truth to give it more authenticity.
My go-to faith verse has always been Hebrews 11:1, due to a catchy tune my friend and I wrote to it in 4th grade when faced with the assignment to memorize the first 10 verses of that chapter.
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.”
I’ve never really dissected this verse for what it says until now, and what I found was exactly the truth I needed to hear to understand the quote about God’s faithfulness. Faith means that I need to be completely, 100% sure that the Lord is going to provide my needs. It’s not a “please, God, if you could maybe have time to please help me raise these funds, that would be great” prayer; it’s a “hey Jesus, I know that you have called me to this mission trip. I am certain that the funds I need to get there will be provided, because you promised me in 1 Thessalonians 5:24 that the One who calls me is faithful and you will do it.” This isn’t abandonment of effort or careless hopes that he will do all the work – it’s a journey in which he holds the map.
I can’t stop comparing my life to Indiana Jones right now – in the “Last Crusade” film where he is trying to get the healing water to save his father’s life. He uses his trusty guidebook with clues to get him through the obstacles, the deadly traps and snares set to assure his failure, and finds himself at a chasm. This point in the movie is so significant because Indiana is forced to take a “leap of faith” in which he closes his eyes and steps out in what he assumes is his death, yet is surprised when his foot lands safely on an invisible bridge, created so that those who reach it will have no choice but to trust that there’s something they aren’t seeing.
It blows me away how directly relevant this situation is to my life in late moments; I’ve been through a few obstacles, fought my way out of some sticky traps, and have found myself at a dead-end, with my guidebook telling me to step out in faith but my heart telling me to be cautious of what may come if I do.
The beautiful thing is, I trust my Guidebook more than I trust myself – something I’ve always known deep down but just struggle to put into play sometimes. I know that if I want the treasures and healing waters that lie just on the other side of that chasm, I will have to let go of myself. And that’s what I’m learning to do.
My prayers have transformed over the last few weeks, starting in a place of timidness and unsure reluctance, and gradually moving to a place of confident expectation that He will move in hearts and get me to my goal. I believe with my whole heart that Jesus has a miraculous plan for the next 8 months of preparation, and I am steppin out in faith that he will reveal it one piece at a time. Now I just have to get through that 200-year-old knight waiting on the other side….. (That’s a movie reference… if you haven’t seen it I’m sorry. Go watch it, it’s great.)
