NOW Faith!

When I completed writing the blog post yesterday while seated at the kitchen table, my wife came over to me, leaned down and put her arms around me.  I sat back in the chair, embraced her and began to give thanks to God.  You must understand ,that as one who is dealing with the effects of dementia, she has not responded this way toward me for some time now.  As I held on to her and enjoyed her closeness, I began to reflect on what I had just written concerning our need to “hold on to our declaration of faith.” (Hebrews 4:14 God’s Word©)  I was instantly reminded that along the way we also need to celebrate God’s little miracles or those little victories that He sends to us in order to encourage us in our stand. 

My wife’s actions at that moment were definitely one of those moments and I began to shout through my tears exclaiming His faithfulness to us.  I think that we can sometimes get so caught up in seeing the end results of the answered prayer that we tend to miss what God is doing for us in the midst of our stand of faith.  It kind of goes back to what I wrote about last week concerning those who are seeking the miracle and miss the Miracle Worker!

Yes, Jesus did tell us in Mark 16:17 that “these signs shall follow them that believe…” (KJV) But I believe the point that He was trying to convey to us was that the attesting signs will follow those who believe in Him.  In other words, the miracles happen to those who keep their attention focused on Jesus and not on the results of their faith in Him.

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “NOW faith is…”  It is talking about a faith that is happening right NOW in us who believe.  It is another one of those actions that is current, fresh and occurring in the very present tense.  As our eyes are attentive to Him, we won’t miss any of the little miracles or little victories that are ours each day.  A NOW faith is one that is exciting because something is always happening.  An individual who is so focused on a future answer to their prayers is not in faith but in hope, and hope is a frail foundation compared to a current NOW faith in what God is doing for you today!  A NOW faith is rewarded as was mine yesterday when my wife came over and gave me a hug… just like old times!

Was that hug the total answer to what we are standing in faith for?  No, but it was a sign of encouragement that re-ignites my passionate desire to stay focused on the ONE behind the expected miracle.  Have a wonderful day.  Stay focused on Him and His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting to see today?”