...God whispers Words

AUGUST 11/14

Ok, I’ve said I don’t know my Bible very well.  Sure, I’m familiar with a lot of stories and passages I’ve heard over the years of Christian training.  But what I mean is, I haven’t memorized Scripture or studied it enough to make the particular words permanently stick.   Scripture verses don’t flow off my tongue in prayer or conversation.

God whispered Words in the darkness.  What do I mean?  I didn’t hear anything, but God spoke to me in a cerebral dropping, if you will: a phrase popped in my head.  They weren’t just any words, but ancient “Words” – Scripture.  On Sunday morning (Aug.10), I laid awake after my youngest woke me up and demanded a bottle.  It was 4:30.  I was exhausted, but couldn’t sleep, so I thought and I prayed.  Then came the Words: “God will make everything beautiful in its time.”  I had to rehearse these Words a few times so I wouldn’t forget them – they were familiar, but I had no idea what book of the Bible they were even from.  In the morning, I had to use Google (the 21^st century concordance!) to locate the words.  Right.  They came from the “there-is-a-time-for-everything” passage in Ecclesiastes 3.  I found a devotional by Rick Warren that explained that God would take this ugly mess and make something good – even beautiful – in His time, if we give Him the pieces (Thanks, Rick).  That has given me a peace that passes understanding.

God also whispered Words in the light of day (though I suppose figuratively, it was still dark).  The next day, I was pondering about faith – what it really meant, how it plays into miracles (because we need one!), if I have enough of it to see a miracle.   The second verse came to me incompletely in a daylight whisper (or cerebral dropping!): “author and perfecter of faith.”  Again, Biblically illiterate as I am, I had to look it up. This comes from Hebrews 12:2:

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

What a goodie!  I need to fix my eyes on Jesus, not on the crashing waves and howling wind and roaring thunder.  He is the author of faith – faith is a GIFT, not something we achieve by holy habits or good deeds.  We don’t deserve it, but receive it because of that act of enduring the cross.  He is the perfecter of faith – He works in us to help us with the believing-but-not-seeing.  He takes the lack of faith that we have and produces even greater faith. 

Another verse was brought to my attention through a cousin’s Facebook post (thanks, Dani):

"Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20.

Do I have enough faith to move a mountain?  I’m full of fear.  Is that a lack of faith?

I don’t know if this would stand theological scrutiny, but I believe God wanted me to pair this verse with the Hebrews one.  Maybe this is the answer to my do-I-have-enough-faith question: It doesn’t matter.  Remember that Jesus, that cross-conqueror and death-defyer?  Remember how He sat down at God’s right hand?  He’s close enough to mediate for me.   If I pray through Him, He takes my imperfect, fear-filled, mustard-seed-like faith, and perfects if through His sacrifice, so that my Faith can move MOUNTAINS (and oh, this is a mountain).   It doesn’t matter how much faith I have: my prayer receives power because Jesus intercedes on my behalf.  

Awesome message, Lord.  I couldn’t have come up with that one on my own.  I might have just cracked a smile.

Thank-you, Lord, for the Oxygen.