The Picture of Faith Made Alive

Do you have a picture of faith? How does it look? I asked my friend. She was thinking for a while and clueless. She said that it was a difficult question. It was an impromptu question. She did not expect it. We were having a meaningful conversation about how are we during this trying season. Though this question is not unexpected for me, it was years ago.

One afternoon, middle of the year 2017, I was doing my meditation on the Word of God. Swiftly, I had this picture in my mind. I was not daydreaming or imagining things when I recalled this scene from the movie entitled No Escape. An American family in a foreign land needs to escape death and must cross the border for them to be safe. It was horrifying that the couple on the rooftop with their two small kids needs to jump to the other rooftop of the building. Breathtaking! That leap was their getaway from the evil guys. This scene made me sensitive to a word from the Holy Spirit; Leap of Faith.

I was reflecting on this and asked myself, is this a picture of how faith should be? If that is, then would I jump too? Too risky! There is a possibility that I could not make it to the other end. But it looks like a dead end. It is either-or, jump to escape, or get caught and eventually get killed. By the way, this reflection is on a spiritual realm already; the word of God says that our real enemy in the spirit comes to steal, kill, and destroy but the one true God gives life and abundance – John 10:10. To leap in faith sounds fearful and yet determined to land on the other side. I closed my reflection in prayer.

Hebrews 12:1 says; Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see (New Living Translation). To have faith is seeing the fulfillment of what is to come and seeing no matter how far it is. How is that possible? It is impossible. No one knows what tomorrow holds, the future is uncertain; at least this pandemic has proven it for us. However, the book of Hebrews chapter 11 mentioned the people of old who are heroes of faith. All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised – Hebrews 11:39NLT. Faith is real. These people were not daydreamers. They were visionaries. They started seeing ahead of them because faith exists.

Now, the book of Hebrews is engaging and powerful because the author is taking us into the depths of God that would make us also experience this kind of faith. It is not only intended for the people of old. God had a better plan for us to became part of it in the new covenant; For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us – Hebrews 11:40NLT. Faith is accessible. Faith becomes evident, it is understood and experienced. God made faith accessible in the person of His one and only son Jesus Christ. The book of Hebrews is saying that the sacrifice was offered once and for all in His name. Jesus is our great high priest- an image or a picture from the old testament. The shadow of the former system that becomes a reality in the person of Jesus Christ.

The word of God tells us that faith exists and is made accessible because of the source of it. It is ever-present and available because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 NLT. That picture I had in 2017 and the Holy Spirit’s word that says “Leap of Faith” was processed into my life as I journey with the Lord daily. The turning point in my life came when the Lord made me realized that I was doing things my way, not HIS. We make a lot of decisions in our lives. It might be small from our daily chores, something overwhelming from the workplace, or urgent for a loved one. I would decide on my own. I cannot wait on Him and would make decisions that seem right for me. I feel that I should grab every opportunity that comes my way without asking the Lord if it is His will. I would pray about it, for sure, and yet it is not really about Him but of myself. The journey is not as easy as this world keeps on offering false hope and treasures.

Nevertheless, the word of God is ever powerful that it can transform the hearts of men to align it to the LORD’s will and purpose. These holy words of the Lord planted faith in my heart. The word is cultivated, sprouted, and continuously nourished and growing, the roots become strong and expected to bear fruit. Without these words planted deep into my heart, it is impossible to have faith. I must continue to hear, meditate, and walk on it. The written word is alive. Faith is activated because the word of God is God himself, the ultimate source of working faith.

Going back to that scene of the movie I’ve mentioned, the wife and two kids did not want to jump. They were so scared. But the husband was firm “You must jump” “You can do it”, “Go”, words of the same effect. They did as instructed.

Children of God, followers of Jesus Christ, move forward, take that leap and say yes because the Lord had spoken. We must trust His words.

What picture of faith do you have?
It can become real, accessible, working in your life through the lens of the written word.