How Strong is Your Faith?

~~~ Isaiah 7:1-9 ~~~ Psalm 48 ~~~ Matthew 11: 20-24 ~~~

"...the heart of the king and the heart of the people trembled,
as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind...."

"...Unless your faith is firm
you shall not be firm!"

When thrust into turmoil you will undoubtedly be blown

off course

unless your faith is firm.

Just last week we had some local flooding close to our home;

this is one occasion when your faith needs to be firm. The overwhelming

 feeling of watching the water creep up your yard and gradually

seep into your house. Within a couple hours some had water entering

their house as if nothing was to prevent it from swallowing

up the whole property.

No matter what your age there will always be something

that makes you tremble in the depths of your heart.

There will always be the unknown that can catch you off guard.

The fact is no matter how hard we may try we are just not capable

of creating every possible scenario in our heads.

It is probably better for our mental and emotional health

that we not be able to conjure up all of the possibilities

that we may encounter.

I have heard people wish they knew their future.

I believe if we could see the future we would not have the stamina

to develop the stronger faith required.

We would become overwhelmed or even paralyzed at what the

future had in store for us.

It amazed me that even storms far away can effect you where you are.

Even when you cannot see the storms...they are not yet on your radar screen...

they still send out far reaching ripples.

Those who have firm faith find the strength to continue

in spite of the storms of life.

In many cases they are able to extract good in the midst of their trials.

Often when we witness the trials of others the fallout is a stronger

commitment in our own faith.

There can be no resurrection without death.

No rainbow without the dark rain laden clouds.

No fruit without the fading shriveled blossom.

No delicate butterfly without the earth bound caterpillar.

Sometimes we must have our faith tested in order to validate its

existence to ourselves.

Faith is not seen with the naked eye it must be a like a drenching rain

which chills to the bone.

Pray for a faith strong enough to help you weather the worst of times

even as you experience the good times.