The second week of Advent is the week we light the Faith Candle. Here are some random thoughts on Faith.

Drive by Faith

I have no sense of direction. Not on the road. Not in a building. Not anywhere. Some people seem to have an innate sense of where they are in space. But not me.

So, logically, I chose to begin my third thirty years of life by becoming a traveler. Right?

I depend totally on my GPS. When it tells me something ahead has slowed down traffic and I need to take an alternative route? I believe. I accept.

This strategy works for me. Mostly.

Sometimes, the GPS is trustworthy, but I fail. I don’t listen or I misunderstand. In big cities, I get overwhelmed and panic about things like which lane is the second from the right. At least once, I’ve put in the wrong information from the beginning. The GPS sent me to the place I entered but I wasn’t where I wanted to be.

Sometimes the GPS fails me. Directions that are good for a normal car aren’t always the best for my 10’ 3” tall van with all my household goods in the back. The GPS doesn’t tell you about speed bumps, potholes, or low-hanging branches. Also, once in a blue moon, the GPS is just flat-out wrong.  In those cases, I always hope for a helpful contact on the other end to give me pointers.

Still, as a person who struggles to know which way is up, I feel I have no choice but to follow the GPS.

I drive by faith.

Walk by Faith

You know where I’m going with this, right? Even someone with my sense of direction should have gotten it by now.

On our own, we are lacking in a spiritual sense of direction. We aren’t always good with recognizing spiritual markers and sometimes we can’t tell east from west. 

We have to ask and listen for the Holy Spirit to tell us graciously, “this is the way, walk in it….”

For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

Isaiah 30:19-21 (ESV)

We cry out to our God by faith. We see our Teacher by faith. We hear His Word by faith. And we walk with Him by faith.

Live by Faith

My Advent passage this year is Romans 5:1-5 (ESV). It says that we “have been justified by faith” and “have also obtained access by faith.”

I like these verses in The Message:

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

Romans 5:1-2 (THE MSG)

Y’all. We are as helpless at trying to save ourselves and make ourselves whole as I am at finding myself on a map. And in our sin, we have absolutely no access to God.

Not without faith. We can’t work it out for ourselves. 

By faith, we enter into the place God has always wanted for us and he welcomes us generously. It’s sometimes scary in the wide open spaces of grace–but it’s absolutely the safest place we can be.

So this raises a few questions for me.

Why expect good works?

My first question is about others. Why, knowing that we ourselves are justified and have access to God’s grace by faith alone, do we expect spiritual things from people who don’t have the  Holy Spirit? 

If we, who have the Holy Spirit, struggle to keep in step with our God, how do we expect people without Him to do it? Why are we choosing to cut people out of our lives instead of being a part of God grafting them into the vine?

If we long to be “by faith” people, then why isn’t that the utmost longing of our hearts for others as well? If so, our conversations with loved ones and strangers who do not know Jesus must be about introducing them to our faith—not our ethics, our politics, or our way of life. 

What does a faith-building interaction look like? My answer is going to seem trite. But here goes.

It looks like Jesus.

Jesus asked questions. He listened. And He showed people that He was someone they could put their faith in. He saw people and spoke Truth into their hearts.

With the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do the same–showing them Jesus. But we can’t see people as the enemy. We love God. We love others. Just like Jesus.

Why rely on my own understanding?

My second question is more about me. Why, knowing that God calls me to live by faith, and that faith is “the assurance of things not seen,” do I always insist on seeing and understanding what is ahead?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.

Proverbs 3:4-5 (ESV)

I’m so much better about this than I used to be. But man, it’s a daily struggle. I keep wanting to go back to being sensible, practical, and self-reliant. This makes-no-sense, spiritual, and God-dependent living is scary sometimes.

“Stop Freaking Out” by Faith

My favorite takeaway from a recent sermon on faith was, “Stop Freaking Out!” _{^{(Eric Stone, The Life Church, Memphis. 11.27.2022)}} Those three words have come to mind more than once this week. 

• Stop freaking out about the state of the world. 
• Stop freaking out about your family’s health and well-being. 
• Stop freaking out about being understood. 
• Stop freaking out about your yes and your no. 
• Stop freaking out about tomorrow. 

I’ve got a few things tempting me to freak out right now. By faith, I know that God is in, over, and through it all. He is working it for good and for His glory.

Come Alongside

This week let’s prepare for Christmas with faith. Let’s be like the apostles and pray, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5). And let’s mutually encourage each other — strengthening each other by faith. I’d love to come alongside you in your prayer for faith or hear how God has used someone to increase your faith.

Traveling in Grace,

Christi