clouds of doubt

For the Believer, faith is vital.

"being sure of our hope and certain of the unseen"... that's what the Spirit breathed into the Hebrew writer's pen...

and here's the piece of it I am finally beginning to learn: faith not only improves our 'future vision', it brings into 20/20 focus the things that happened before! as a matter of fact, the latter is necessary to the former!

After opening the chapter with faith's definition, the writer spends a LOT of time giving examples from the past... so we can believe. So we don't forget..

But more and more, doubt clouds our faith vision. and we become less sure of anything, and suspicious of His leading. We explain away God's daily miracles... we sanitize His present activeness and rationalize His awesome power.

We use words like fate and coincidence to explain away the things God does for us every minute of every day...

and here's the devil's insidious tactic: he convinces us that what we saw - what we lived through - wasn't REALLY a miracle. he whispers to us that what we read about is a fairy tale... he leads us to find scientific explanations for the divine...

"that parting of the Sea" says the Israelite who JUST LIVED THROUGH THE MOST HARROWING CLOSE CALL IN HUMAN HISTORY!, "that was just a freakish wind pattern that caused the waters to part and allow us to walk across dry land...."

"That pillar of fire..." says the one who has been miraculously led by said pillar for months!, "really just a low-hanging constellation..."

and we have big fun at the Israelite's expense.... "oh those silly Jews... how could they NOT see something so obvious" says us...

"now if God only did THAT sorta stuff TODAY, well, THEN I would be able to really get into this faith and belief business..." says me, as I sit in the church pew beside Dawson, a perfectly beautiful and smart 6 year old little boy who I held - literally - in the palm of my hand at Children's Hospital when he was first born. 18 weeks early. the miracle. the surviving twin of an extremely premature birth.

satan is a filthy liar spewing clouds of doubt... and we - if we are not extremely careful - buy it! Hook, line and sinker! We cannot be sure of anything...

no wonder we can't trust the future..... we refuse to see the past clearly...

and the worst part, perhaps? The doubt that clouds our vision? doesn't come from CNN or Fox or MSNBC (I mean, they are the worst enemies of faith and belief, but I have long since tuned out that white noise)... MY clouds of doubt come from folks who purport to be believers!

Let's remember. Let us remember God. let's resolve not to make mundane the divine... and let's decide to believe... and to surround ourselves with believers.... and to encourage belief and faith in all those we touch every day.

I know He is in control because I have lived it. So I trust that He will continue to do His miracles in my life.

All I gotta do is clear away the clouds of doubt.