Meditations
Upon Faith – Romans 4:16-24
Faith is an unwavering, unconditional
and unequivocal belief in God’s ability to favorably orchestrate minute details
in human affairs. It allows that God, the Creator of the universe and Maker of
heaven and Earth, elects within His sovereign will to suspend the laws of
nature and alter human affairs to achieve His will. Notwithstanding regimens
and protocols of Eastern and Western medicine and science, Almighty God,
exercising His sovereign prerogative, chooses to supernaturally heal someone of
myriad diseases to accomplish His will. He may miraculously grant a pregnancy
to a woman as a gift to humankind. That child may be a divine agent with a
unique mission. Interestingly, that child could become God’s vessel to cure HIV/AIDS
or some other debilitating disease. He may be an activist, reformer, researcher
or visionary who possesses abilities to contribute significantly to the
betterment of the global community.
Consider the faith of Abraham upon
which Paul discourses in the fourth chapter of the book of Romans. Abraham
believes God is able to accomplish the promise of a natural heir that He makes
to Abraham and Sarah. To bless humankind through His chosen people, God blesses
Sarah’s womb though Abrahma is one hundred years of age and Sarah is ten years younger.
Biologically and physiologically, the birth of Isaac is an impossibility. Only
a miracle could accomplish this feat. Immediately, images of Hollywood special
effects and science fiction come to mind. Paranormal approaches may have some
value. In Aristotle’s literary technique, “Deus et machina,” an author
forcibly invokes divine intervention and sovereign powers when he exhausts his options.
In the Ancient Near East, none of these options were available to Abraham and
Sarah. Accordingly, Abraham unwaveringly puts his faith and trust in Almighty
God.
The text records that Abraham does not
waver in his faith but unquestionably believes God can do what He promises. Abraham
does not question God’s authority or ability to fulfill His promise. In fact, Abraham
remains “fully persuaded” that God’s capability, capacity and character will yield
fulfillment of His promise. Abraham trust that God would faithfully adhere to the
covenant which God initiates in the twelfth chapter of Genesis. God’s makes an
oath based on His holy and unblemished character. Almighty God will not violate
His word. God’s character and intrinsic attributes compel Him to faithfully and
perfectly fulfill His word. Relying upon his relational and experiential
knowledge of God, Abraham unsurprisingly depends upon God to keep His promise
of the gift of a natural heir.
Consider pragmatic dimensions of faith.
Abraham matures in faith as he practices spiritual disciplines. He learns to
trust God as Abraham rightly relates to God. This relational knowledge empowers
Abraham to genuinely rely upon God though scientific facts, reason and human
experience combine to negate any possibility that God can perform this miracle.
Wholeheartedly, Abraham desires an heir from his own loins and from his beloved
wife, Sarah. In communing with God, Abraham learns God’s character. Prayer and
meditation are essential spiritual tools; necessary to develop disciples’ faith
and spirituality. Often, disciples rush into prayer with a grocery list of
concerns, challenges and personal desires. They want God to remove all
obstacles in their paths. In contrast, they might ask God how He may mysteriously
and majestically utilize their problems to glorify Himself. What if they were
to ask God for insight into how He orchestrates their spiritual development and
personal growth amid daily challenges and trials. Envision approaching the
throne of God and asking how to transform personal complaints into concrete
building blocks of Christ like character. Moreover, try being still and
listening to the voice of God. Silence is a powerful form of prayer.
Interestingly, if disciples are silent, the Holy Spirit will guide them about
what to pray.
In Romans 8, Paul instructs the church
that the Spirit directs us because we do not know what to say. As disciples
mature, they are less interested in personal dreams, ambitions and goals. They focus
more upon acquiring the Lord’s heart, mind and character and expanding Christ’s kingdom. They
desire a legacy wherein they deposited His unfailing love within the hearts of
other people. They genuinely seek His will and strive to accomplish His
purposes. Disciples pray for wisdom and power to become vessels of His love,
messengers of His grace, channels of His peace and instruments of His will. In
meditation, God’s voice teaches us to patiently wait for the revelation of the
Lord’s will. A Christian sister once lost her job amidst a company’s
downsizing. Her employer told her on a Friday morning that her job had been
eliminated. To the human resources department’s utter surprise, she calmly
accepted their decision and accompanying severance package. Upon returning to
her desk and sharing with her fellow employees that she lost her job, she
faithfully remarked, “I wonder what God is up to?” Her serene acceptance emerged
from many years of trusting and genuinely relying on Almighty God in every situation.
Her stalwart faith stemmed from years of listening to Him.
The exact words that we use in prayer
are extremely important. It is significant to ask what you want. I would like
to share two instructive examples. First, I recall praying and affirming daily
for a period of four late spring and summer months that I would “be in a
classroom in the fall.” Wholeheartedly, I sought to return to teaching. I had
been working in sales for approximately two years when I began to offer that
prayer. Almighty God graciously answered my prayer. That fall, I returned to
teaching Global History, Human Geography and Development and Senior Religion.
Within six months, my employment at that school was terminated suddenly,
unexpectedly and shockingly. I did not foresee being fired. I will not share
the reasons that the principal gave or my responses. The administrators simply
decided irreversibly to end my employment. Nothing that I said could have made
any difference. They resolved it was the right course of action. Upon further
reflection, I realized that my initial prayer and affirmation were incomplete
and inadequate. I retrospectively wished that I had asked to be placed in the
classroom that was right for me within God’s perfect design and grace. Yes, God
granted my prayer. I confidently walked into a classroom that fall but I did
not walk into a classroom suitable to my personality, standards, gifts and
abilities. Issues of classroom management and student recalcitrance among other
contributing factors made it untenable for me to remain. Had I been paired more
closely with a learning community that shared my vision of education, I imagine
a different outcome. In adding the words relating to God’s perfect grace, I
acknowledge God’s divine plan and sovereignty which are overarching in the life
of any disciple.
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