Is it harder to have faith today?

a verse or two

“You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely”. Psalm 139: 1—4

Spiritual Walk and Musings: Is it harder to have faith today?

This past week on the early morning walks with Gypsy, Vivienne and I have been able to see the alignment of several planets. In fact, it’s looked quite impressive during these recent clear mornings in the minutes before the birdsong begins their pleasant tune. Apparently this month the planets of Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Earth, Venus, and Mercury are all fairly lined up in a row. Well, looking up at the planets got me thinking. I wonder what the people back in the Bible times thought when they saw such things. Back then the astrologers would predict the future by searching the stars and what not; back then it would have been considered a rather learned way of thinking – kind of scientific. And so I wonder if back then people who had faith in the unseen God were considered a bunch of nincompoops.

So I muse – perhaps for each generation there have been plenty of things and voices to draw one away from placing faith in the unseen God, and therefore it’s no harder for any particular generation to have faith than any other. There are always things to cause deception and always things to test one’s faith. So even though we might think it’s harder to have faith in God today than back then – the reality is for each generation there has been plenty of competition and voices saying faith in God is stupid, eccentric or unwise.

Think to some of the Bible characters. The so called wise people of the day might have said people are dumb trusting an unseen God, but at the end of the day the ones with faith in God were proven correct. Daniel mentioned he would rather trust God than deny God – he wasn’t eaten by the lions. David said he would rather place his faith in God than fear a giant with a sword and a spear – who won?

Can I encourage you in your faith in God. In the end Christianity comes down to faith in an unseen God. There are many voices that say Christianity is stupid and this week we have seen some stupid things done in the name of Christianity—like saying the world is going to end – yeah right! But whether Christians do stupid things or not – it does not change what God is like. If I believe in God or not; it does not change if God is or is not. It’s a bit like the wind, I can say I don’t believe there is such a thing as the wind (because I can’t see it), but the reality is there is such a thing as the wind. My own belief does not change what is already true.

And ponder this: at times we can all see the effects of the wind; likewise when someone places faith in God, if we know them before and after they place their faith in God, often we can see the effects of God in them, just like we often see the effect of the unseen wind.

So is it harder to have faith today? I don’t think so. Yet in the end – it comes down to faith in an God who died on a cross for the forgiveness of our sins. Be encouraged to place continual faith in Him.

Something to do: Look at the stars and planets and talk to the Creator.

Why not wrap up warm, take a hot coffee or warm mulled wine and sit outside in the dark to observe the heavens (the planets in alignment are just visible before first light in the morning). Count some shooting stars. Ponder the great distances. The number of them is more than the sand particles on every beach and the creator knows about everyone of them and not only that, the creator knows the numbers of hairs on your head, the thoughts on your mind, and the words you speak before you speak them.

To Ponder and Pray: Psalm 139.

Read Psalm 139. Read it again and ponder its meaning. Then read it in a different translation and ponder it some more. Then read it again in another translation as a prayer to the creator God – Father Son and Holy Spirit.