August 25

The power of faith

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).
“Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Gal. 3:6).

Faith makes all evil good to us, and all good better; unbelief makes all good evil to us, and all evil worse. Faith laughs at the shaking of the spear; unbelief trembles at the shaking of a leaf. Faith finds food in famine, and a table in the wilderness. In greatest danger faith answers, “I have a great God”; when outward strength is broken, faith pulls out the sting of trouble, and draws out the wormwood of every affliction.
This is the Christian’s privilege, that he lives in a larger world than other men. He sees things that are hid from their eyes. Behind the chaos of good and bad just about us, behind the seeming defeat of the right, behind disaster and loss and doubt, there stands up to his sight the figure of Infinite Love, controlling all things. Beyond the imperfections of life lies the fullness of Heaven.

A tender child of summers three,
Seeking her little bed at night,
Paused on the dark stairs timidly.
“O, mother, take my hand,” said she,
“And then the dark will all be light.”

We older children grope our way
From dark behind to dark before;
And only when our hands we lay,
Dear Lord, in Thine, the night is day,
And there is darkness nevermore.

Reach downward to the sunless days,
Wherein all guides are blind but Thee,
And faith is small and hope delays;
Take Thou the hands of prayer we raise,
And let us feel the light of Thee.
—J. G. Whittier.

It is a little thing to trust God as far as we can see Him, so far as the way lies open before us, but to trust Him when we are hedged in on every side and can see no way to escape, this is good and acceptable with God.
—John Wesley.

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