Thanks, Amy, for the truth that “faith isn’t timid or unsure.It is bold and certain.”
Indeed, the faith that Jesus exalts, the faith of the centurion, the bleeding woman, the man who wants to see his daughter healed, is bold faith. It acts forward. It reaches out.
This kind of faith is based upon expectation.
Recently I had the privilege of exchanging a few words with a friend about God’s faithfulness. Her mother had passed away a few years ago and she spoke now of a situation with her father undergoing surgery to remove a potentially cancerous tumor.
“I asked some of my friends to pray for him,”
“Certainly, ” I replied, engaged.
“But not to ask that it wasn’t cancer.”
I lifted an eyebrow, just as confused as her friends must have been at the remark.
“Not that I want it to be cancer, but I know that it will be okay. Because you see, even if it is I know that God is still in control. He’s taught me in the past to rely on him, through my mom. I know He will still provide.”
God is our Provider. He has promised us all that we need. This is guaranteed.
When I come home to sit at my parents table, I am not surprised to see food in front of me. It’s expected. Yes, I am thankful for the food set before me but it was not altogether unwarranted. I know them, historically, to be providers. They will continue to provide as long as I know them. Food, support, love.
The more I come to know and love my Heavenly Father, the more I come to expect things to come of Him for who He is. And yes, often I am surprised by the favors He chooses to grace me with.
Then, I ask “why?”
Why does this take me by surprise? Doesn’t it just make sense that a God who is “gracious and compassionate” (Psalms 145) continue to show me grace and compassion? Shouldn’t I simply expect these things?
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Gracious Father,
Thanks for the good gifts of my life, for You are good. Give me the grace to remember this tomorrow.
A post from the archives, originally published November 16, 2010.
Sixty-six books in a year 