Faith

Faith

Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

MY FRIEND CEENA AND I have a pact. When God seemingly goes silent and life feels especially uncertain and chaotic for one of us, the other becomes the recounter of God’s past faithfulness and the vocal reassurance of his current involvement.

The best way to see God’s fingerprints is often in hindsight, and she and I are one another’s faith historians. We gently remind one another of the times and ways in which God showed up in previous circumstances, recounting in detail how he provided exactly what we needed at exactly the right time, cleared an impossible path, or intervened in a way that was beyond our wildest hope. Because Ceena and I have objectivity, we can look for the fingerprints of God on a situation the other person cannot, and we actively point it out, standing in the gap with prayer and faith when the other’s faith feels a bit tremulous.

And while I pray you find yourself a friend as loyal and loving as Ceena, you can be your own faith historian, collecting stories of God’s faithfulness in your life, in the lives of your friends, neighbors, church members, storing up all the ways in which you witnessed God proving himself faithful and then recounting those stories to yourself—sometimes on repeat—in the midst of your current need. If you do not yet have your own stories or stories from those you know and trust, Scripture is replete with accounts of God’s faithfulness in times of heartache and uncertainty. Ruth, Naomi, Rahab, Esther—some of my favorite women in Scripture—were met by God in the most incredible ways, despite their backstories. Faith grows when we feed it, and the best fuel I’ve found is reminding ourselves and others of God’s past faithfulness when we feel utterly helpless and alone.

Lord, make us faith historians, storing up memories of other times and other places in which you’ve divinely intervened on our behalf or on behalf of someone close to us. Amen.

-Julie

One Good Step: Find a safe place to write down one-sentence reminders of times God has been faithful, adding to your list as you see God move. Meditate on these memories the next time your faith feels a bit shaky.