The Gift of Faith
As I mentioned in my last blog post, my review of The Mark of the Raven, our Bible study group is studying the spiritual gifts right now. Of course, discovering what our gifts are is of interest, but I’ve been focusing more on the Giver and the reason for the gifts.
Not because I’m super spiritual or selfless, but because I felt like I needed to start at the beginning. Without a solid understanding of the nature of the Giver and His original intent, it’s easy to go off track.
Just ask Lady Selene Ravenwood. (See above.)
Meanwhile, something serious happened to someone dear to me, and I started to feel guilty that I wasn’t worried about it. Sad, yes. Concerned, yes. Praying for the outcome we all want. But not worried. Not questioning His goodness. No, I had peace. Even if things didn’t work out the way we wanted.
Why?
Because what happened was no surprise to God. And nothing happens without His permission.
But what about really big, bad things? War, tsunamis, famines, pandemics? Poverty, trafficking, child abuse?
Yes, even those. But in the midst of all of those, He’s trustworthy.
Then it hit me. I have the gift of faith.
That thought had never entered my mind. In fact, I couldn’t even imagine what the gift of faith would look like. “Faith the size of a mustard seed moving mountains? Phht.”
It turns out, I had no idea what the gift of faith would look like.
This gift didn’t show up the way I expected. It wasn’t wrapped and waiting under the tree for me. No, He’s grown it in me by the things He’s led me through. I talk about that in this blog post, When I Called on Yahweh Rophe.
- It’s isn’t flashy.
- It isn’t the televangelist throwing his coat around and shouting, “Be healed.”
- It’s not, “Name it and claim it.”
- It’s not strong arming God with your ripped biceps of faith into doing what you want.
So what is it?
For me, faith is the “strong, silent type.” The anchor in the midst of the storm.
My peace comes from putting my trust solely in Him and relinquishing control to His providence.
Grammar nerd alert!
Providence. That word seems so antiquated, doesn’t it? It comes from Latin, pro + videre, to see beforehand. From it, we get “provide” as well as “providence.” His providence means He sees what’s coming and provides for it.
I’m no gift expert.
But I can tell you my experience. This gift of faith wasn’t like a car key under the tree that I could take out to the driveway and use to drive off into the sunset. It was like IKEA furniture – assembly required. Complete with a set of instructions (God’s Word) and tools included (the help of the Holy Spirit.)
Or maybe it was more like a packet of seeds. Maybe mustard seeds? I could have stuck them in a drawer. But to get the most out of the gift, I had to plant them in good soil, water them, and protect them the shoots from critters that might come and eat them before they had a chance to grow. My faith grew every time I decided to trust Him.
Back to the reason for the gifts:
Having this gift is awesome. Does that mean I can horde it and admire it and take it out and call it, “My Precious?”
No. Of course not.
The gifts are given for the good of the church.
So also you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church. – 1 Corinthians 14:12, LSB
How can I use this gift for the good of the body?
Newsflash: throwing around Romans 8:28 like a weapon isn’t a good strategy.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. – Romans 8:28, LSB
Yes, it’s true. Yes, we believe it. But in the thick of the battle, maybe it isn’t what someone needs to hear. But maybe our faith can stand in the gap for the faith of one who is wavering. We can be the shelter in the storm, standing firm when everything else gives way.
