THE PREDICAMENT OF FAITH

Why is faith so hard? Why do so few believe? Faith brings with it three predicaments for man, which need to be overcome.

1. A reality that is invisible

No other statement helps us understand the nature of creation than Hebrews 11:3-

‘By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.’

Man is so used to living his life based on what he sees that a concept of an invisible reality is beyond him. To recognize that all we see in physical form came forth from the word of God which is invisible is the beginning of faith. There is an invisible spiritual reality in which we are immersed and with which we interact on a constant basis. Think of air which is really invisible and apparently makes no impact in our daily lives, but when the air changes to wind we begin to feel it and when wind changes to a gale, we run for shelter. The spiritual reality that we do not see is so consequential that it eventually controls the physical reality we see. 

2. A reward that is beyond death

Man is used to living for reward. The more immediate the reward, the easier it is to find the motivation for the activity that brings the reward. When you have a tasty dish set out in front of you, the reward of eating it is immediate. The gratification is instant. When you are asked to put in four long years of hard work to obtain a college degree that is harder. However, in applying faith, we come up with the predicament of waiting for a lifetime to obtain a reward that is beyond death. That’s certainly not easy.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

3. A city that is heavenly

Every person has a place he calls home. It is a place he longs for and cannot wait to get back to. What makes a home is the unique set of conditions, circumstances and people that are appealing. However faith demands that a person long for a heavenly city which he cannot see and is yet to come.

If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.  Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one….. (Hebrews 11:15,16)

For many pilgrims, faith has been reduced to believing God will heal a sickness or bring a job or grant money or meet a real earthly need. While that is not false, the heart of faith takes a pilgrim to recognizing these above predicaments and overcoming them. In fact, when man goes on to live his life here on earth and take decisions based on the spiritual reality, the reward to come and the heavenly city yonder, faith becomes truly alive.

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