EXPRESSIONS OF FAITH

On an average, every human being expresses faith several times during the course of their day every day…even the atheist and agnostic. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Every time you sit on a chair without checking if it is strong enough to support your weight; every time you jump onto a car or an airplane without checking if it is in good enough shape to carry you about, or if the driver or pilot is sane enough to be carrying your life in his hands; every time you confidently enter an elevator, shut it and expect it to function without a glitch, every time you sleep with the expectation of waking up the next day, every time you make plans for the next day, you have expressed faith in something. If your trust isn’t ultimately in God’s assurance that He will keep you, then have either entrusted your life to a driver or pilot or to pieces of metal that a human being has creatively put together. Or to a carpenter or furniture maker, a manufacturer of ropes and metals, or you’ve simply expressed faith in the strength of wood and nails and glue and ropes. You catch my drift?

I have heard that majority of patients admitted to psychiatric hospitals [in Ghana, at least] end up there because they were disappointed by people they loved and expected more from.🤕 It’s not entirely surprising. All it takes for you to cover your head with a cap every time you leave home is for people to constantly tell you you have a big head. People keep telling you you’re fat? It won’t be long before you start googling gym prices or exercises for home and diets to lose weight.

We are extremely skilful at believing the testimony of men!

The translation of that person’s opinion ringing so loudly in your head is an expression of your faith in the legitimacy of his/her person, and thus his opinion. If you’re anything like the average person, even if you didn’t believe their testimony from the start, over time, after hearing it over and over again, it begins to make sense. It does something to your mind; you begin to wonder if they could be right, if anyone else thought same. Here’s what I find mind-blowing:

That this principle doesn’t apply to what God has said about and to us! Even believers!🤒🤢

In fact the more we hear God’s promises, the less powerful they sound and the more of a fallacy it sounds! But if we could apply even one-hundredth of the faith we had in chairs and elevators and buildings and drunk drivers driving dilapidated buses to our faith in God’s promises, peace would elude very few of us. Here’s what John said in his first book, chapter 5 verse 9 [NLT]:

Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God.

For people in sub-saharan Africa, corona virus sounded like an abstract idea that would probably die out before it got here until the record of cases gradually begun shooting up and a death was recorded. It is gradually sinking in that it’s not as abstract as we thought. But notice what John said? He didn’t ask that we disbelieve the testimony of men. He didn’t call them lies. He said since we do such a good job believing the testimony of men, believing reports of how thousands of people have fallen dead in Italy and China and all over the world, believing how easily you can contract this virus, surely we should be able to believe the testimony of a more consistent and trustworthy personality, i.e. God. His testimony is that He is your refuge, that He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from deadly pestilence. That He will cover you with His wings, and no terror nor arrow nor plague will touch you under His watch. That He will command His angels concerning you to guard you. [Psalm 91]. That His name is a fortified tower, the righteous run into it and are safe. [Proverbs 18:10]. That when you pass through the waters, they will not sweep you, because He is with you. That when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, because He is with you. [Isaiah 43:2]

Since you have believed the testimony of men, believe in the greater testimony of God! He will take care of you. But in the midst of God’s promises, remember that wisdom is profitable to direct [Ecclesiastes 10:10], and that wisdom will protect you and keep you safe [Proverbs 4:6]. If you will not walk into an oncoming vehicle because God protects you, then you should keep your hands washed/sanitized and stay at home unless it’s absolutely necessary to leave.

Until next week, you’ll be fine, dear friend. Stay in the rest and peace of God!

Love,

💝 RAD! 💝