I'd Like Some Faith with a Side of Certainty!

READ: ROMANS 10:11-17; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:7

I was born legally blind. Usually I can see enough to get by, but if I have to find a classroom where the room number is posted above the door, I can’t see it. When the church puts the words to the chorus on the big screen up front, I can’t see it. If I’m in a restaurant where the menu is hanging behind the counter, I can’t see it.

To compensate for not being able to see such things, I have to ask for help: “Do they have cheese curds here?” When the people around me are kind enough to answer my questions, I have to take them at their word. I can’t verify if cheese curds are on the menu until I place my order and say, “I’d like cheese curds with that.”

Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Most define faith as “belief” or “trust.” But take it from this legally blind guy: it’s a little deeper than that. I’m looking for information to act on—information I can’t see. Faith relies on someone who has more power and knowledge than I do. My bad sight forces me to depend on others and take them at their word.

“For we live by faith, not by sight,” 2 Corinthians 5:7 says. I know full well what this means. I regularly put my life into the hands of others who can see what they’re doing.

Similarly, God knows more than we do. He has more power, more insight, and is never wrong. We are wrong frequently. Faith acknowledges our weaknesses, but also God’s strength—and through the Holy Spirit, God leads us to rely on that strength (Romans 5:6; 8:26; 2 Corinthians 12:9; 1 John 4:16).

Faith in Jesus is more than mental agreement with some statements; it’s living in light of sure information (1 John 5:20). As Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” • Jeff Weddle

• Can you think of a time you had to depend on others? What was that like?

• Faith in Jesus means relying on Him to save us, and depending on Him in every area of our lives. Of course, none of us will have perfect faith—at least, not until Jesus returns. But as we draw near to God, the Holy Spirit will help us grow in faith, reminding us that we can rest in a secure relationship with God because Jesus has made the way for us to become His dearly loved children (1 John 3:1). How could it be helpful to think of faith, not just as belief and trust, but also as reliance and dependence?

For we live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)