Tag Archives: faith

April 8
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“Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this?  I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.'”  (Luke 1:18, NIV)

“’How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’”  (Luke 1:34, NIV)

It is okay for us to wonder how God will deliver us, or how God will provide for us, or how God will work-out an unworkable situation.  Such thinking challenges our creativity, and reminds us of God’s greatness.  God always arrives; and God is always on time, but He often appears from a direction or in a situation we had not considered.

It is not okay to wonder whether God has the power to deliver us, or the resources to provide for us, or the know-how to ensure success, because this kind of thinking insults our heavenly Father.

Today’s two scriptures are contrasts in these two ways of thinking about apparent impossibilities.  In the former, Zechariah (the seasoned religious professional) questioned the promise, and was sidelined by God.   In the latter, Mary (the simple, young, religious novice) questioned only the process while affirming her allegiance to the plan and the purposes of God.

To this day, Mary’s faith is heralded, while Zechariah’s insistence on “knowing before going” is a cautionary tale.

The next time God presents you with an opportunity to join Him in a task, will you respond as Mary — or as Zechariah?  – Luther

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February 18
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“Then Moses said to them, ‘No one is to keep any of it until morning.’  However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell.  So Moses was angry with them.”  (Exodus 16:19-20, NIV)

The Lord’s prayer includes these words: “Give us this day, our daily bread.”

The daily bread of the Children of Israel’s 40-year sojourn in the desert was called manna.  The wanderers were commanded by Moses to take only what was needed each day (except on the day before the Sabbath, when they were to collect two day’s worth so they could keep the command to refrain from labor on the Sabbath).  But some of the wanderers paid Moses no mind, and hoarded the manna.  They should have saved the effort: The manna became inedible by morning.

Believe it or not, something as simple as eating can be an exercise in faith.  Do we trust God to supply all of our needs, or do we have our own ideas about what we shall eat, drink, and wear?  And if we’re set in the food and clothing department, do we reveal our insecurities about the future of our children, the state of our health, or the various other uncertainties of life?

God knows that we need the necessities of life, and he wants us to trust Him to provide them.  We need not hoard; God has not forgotten us.  We need not fret; our heavenly Father has not left us alone to fend for ourselves.  – Luther

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November 4
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“Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.”  (Hebrews 11:35, NIV)

Every follower of Jesus should read the entirety of chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews to grasp the fact that current-day faithfulness does not guarantee current-day success.

While it is true that God blesses His faithful ones, we err when we begin to think that these “rewards” all come in this life; or at times when we think we would derive the most benefit from them.  Some rewards — like some punishments, for reasons known only to God — are reserved for after the resurrection.

To be a true person of faith requires that we continue to believe (and act in accordance with that belief) although we have yet to receive that for which we hope.  It is not always an easy day.

However, as the writer of Hebrews assures us in verse 1: This is what the ancients were commended for by God.  – Luther

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