Bob Tamasy
When discussing matters of faith, we get a wide range of perspectives. Some folks simply have what I call ‘faith in faith,’ as if things mysteriously have ways of working themselves out. Some place their trust in what ‘the universe’ will bring about. Others have faith in karma, serendipity, or “fate.”
Biblical faith, however, is very different from any of those. It’s more than simple belief. If you were to turn it into a mathematical equation, it would be BELIEF + TRUST = FAITH. It’s sincere belief and trust put into action. It’s like the toddler standing at poolside, looking at mom or dad in the pool with arms extended, and deciding to take a leap – a leap of faith – trusting the parent will catch him or her before going underwater.
True faith is like living in a farming area that’s suffering from an extreme drought, going to church to pray for rain – and carrying an umbrella. It’s responding to God’s call to move to an unfamiliar area to serve as a missionary, without knowing the language or understanding the culture. Faith as the Bible defines it is refusing to deny Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, even if it means estrangement from family or even death – something most of us in the United States have never encountered.
The Scriptures are filled with accounts of people acting in faith, especially when logic or common sense would have told them doing so was foolish. These help us to understand what it means to truly “walk by faith and not by sight,” as 2 Corinthians 5:7 terms it.
We find one such instance early in the Old Testament book of 1 Kings, when the kings of Israel and Judah, along with the king of Edom were leading their armies to do battle with the Moabites. After seven days they had run out of water for themselves and their animals. “Has the Lord called us three kings together only to hand us over to Moab?” complained Israelite king Joram. King Jehoshaphat of Judah knew it wasn’t time to hit the panic button, responding, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord through him?” (1 Kings 3:10-11).
There was one – Elisha, who had served an apprenticeship under another revered prophet, Elijah. It was time to act in faith, Elisha declared. “Make this valley full of ditches. For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing for the Lord; He will also hand Moab over to you” (1 Kings 3:16-18).
Digging ditches in an bone-dry valley, trusting that water would come from nowhere? This probably initially seemed like an exercise in futility, but choosing to trust in the promise of God through the prophet, they ordered trenches to be dug. We’re told in 1 Kings 3:20, “The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was – water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.”
Clearly, it wasn’t enough for the kings to accept the prophet’s assurance that God would provide water. They needed to have ditches dug as they’d been commanded. And their faith – in the face of apparent foolishness – was rewarded.
Earlier the Scriptures told us that Elisha’s mentor, Elijah, had prophesied there would be no rain in Israel for several years “except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). Three-and-a half-years later, after defeating 450 prophets of the false god Baal in a fiery demonstration of God’s power, Elijah correctly declared a torrential storm was coming to end the prolonged drought.
We’d be hard-pressed to count up the times people in the Bible were asked not only to believe God but also to act upon what He had promised. Faith is a foundation for a flourishing relationship with Him. And not once did the Lord fail to do as He said.
When confronted with our own challenges and tribulations, it might be tempting to think, ‘Yeah, that was then. But this is now!’ This is where assurances like Hebrews 13:8 can be so encouraging: “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Time may have passed, but our God hasn’t changed one iota.
This echoes the declaration God gave to Moses when using him to lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt. Directing Moses to perform a series of miracles, God said, “This is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – has appeared to you” (Exodus 4:5).
The same God who parted the Red Sea; who saved Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the midst of the fiery furnace, and Daniel from becoming dinner for the lion; who healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, enabled the lame to walk, and brought Lazarus and others back from the dead; and died on the cross, only to be resurrected on the third day, is ready to respond to our pleas today.
As another prophet asserts, “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear” (Isaiah 59:1). But believing that to be true is only the first step. We need to act upon it, putting feet to our faith. And if necessary, dig some ditches.
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Robert J. Tamasy is a veteran journalist, former newspaper editor, and magazine editor. Bob has written, co-authored and edited more than 20 books. These include ”Marketplace Ambassadors”; “Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace”; “Tufting Legacies,” “The Heart of Mentoring,” and “Pursuing Life With a Shepherd’s Heart.” He writes and edits a weekly business meditation, “Monday Manna,” which is translated into nearly 20 languages and distributed via email around the world by CBMC International. The address for Bob's blog is www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com. His email address is btamasy@comcast.net.