You’ve Been Faith Called
I was born in Puerto Rico in a small town almost on top of a mountain. When night time came there were barely any light posts to light our way. I remember walking from my grandma's house to my house only by the light of the moon. I remember when my mom would turn off our light to sleep in our room, I could put my hands up to my face and I couldn't see it because it was so dark. There was no other source of light to light our room except the moon if it was bright that night. God is the source of our light; without him we are completely blind.
We are accustomed in this world we live in, to have any source of light we want. We have all kinds of light sources, indoor lights and outdoor lights. We have incandescence and Luminescence light. We have so many choices that it can be overwhelming when we are trying to choose what we want when we are building a house or just upgrading our homes. We are used to choosing from the look to how bright we see in our homes. There's even these lights that come with remotes that lets us choose the brightness in the room without even us having to get up from the couch to change it. We are spoiled when it comes to light sources, we get what we want when we want it. We tend to use this same mentality in our spiritual life with God. We think we can choose what God shows us. We get upset and frustrated when we can't see God's plan clearly. We feel entitled to know what God has planned for us completely and his timing to the letter. But what right do we have to tell God to show us the full picture?
Psalm 119: 105 says " Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”. We have all grown up knowing this verse. It was one of the first scriptures I memorized in church as a child. We are all taught that God's word "The Bible" is our guide to living a good godly Christian life. Early this morning I was listening to a sermon about God's clarity and the preacher mentioned this verse. I felt like God had shown this verse to me for the first time. I closed my eyes and I thought over the verse in my heart. I stopped listening to the preaching because I felt God had a word for me in this verse.
When I closed my eyes, I saw myself in the dark holding an old fashioned lantern showing a soft warm glow that only lit a few steps ahead of me. I knew then God was speaking to me. I took out my laptop and I looked up the verse. The first part in the English Standard Version says "Your word is a lamp to my feet." I closed my eyes and thought about those words. God didn't say his word was a lamp to my eyes but to my feet. I closed my eyes and I thought of how I felt as a child being in the dark with no light. I remember I sometimes played with my siblings with flashlights and I remember how dark it was and the only light I had to see my steps was the flashlight. What good is a light if I can't see the ground I'm stepping on? The imminent danger I'm facing is not what's up ahead of me but what's in front of me right now. I wanted to find my siblings while we were playing hide and seek in the dark but what I needed most importantly was to know where my feet were going so I wouldn't hurt myself in the process of finding my siblings.
Sometimes we want something so badly that we want to seek it out. We start running thinking it's up ahead. We forget to look down to see our path and we stumble and get hurt and we blame God. A flashlight can only shine so far into the darkness. No matter how hard you try to see what's ahead your light is only strong and bright around you. As you take steps forward you can see further ahead. But only when you move can you see further than you saw before.
2 Corinthians 5:7 says "For we walk by faith, not by sight". Who needs faith to know what's ahead if they have perfect vision? A blind person depends on his guide dog, or cane, or a guide person to help lead them to where they are going. Since they can't see they must rely on that which they trust to lead them safely to their destination. Who do you trust most? God? Family? Friends? Yourself? You may say you trust God most, of course that is something we all want to say. But when you can't see your path clearly, who are you really trusting? Think hard, think deep and be honest with yourself.
When a blind person is in their home, the place they know by heart and by memory. They know how many steps to go to the kitchen or the bathroom. They know what shelf the milk is on and what cabinet is the bowl at. They can move freely around their home without fear of getting hurt because it's familiar to them . They have been there long enough to memorize where everything is around them. As long as everything stays the same they are ok, they won't need as much help as they would in an unfamiliar place.
God has called us to walk by faith not by sight. This is why he says his word is a lamp unto our feet, he's only going to give us enough vision for the first few steps. If you want to know the rest of the walk you need to move. You need to take action and step forward. Move without knowing what's at the end of the road, simply move because God has called you to walk.
I'm so guilty of wanting details of wanting to know what's ahead so I can be prepared. I struggle and fight with God because of fear of the unknown. I know here and right now. This is my familiar place where I can be alone without a
guide, I feel safe in my familiar place. But I'm also stuck in the familiar, there is no growth in the familiar. If I stay where I am long enough I will grow spiritually stagnant and I will begin to rot. Water needs to flow, it needs movement in order to remain fresh. Standing water is only good for a time, but then it will rot and it will smell and it will get filled with bacteria. In order for water to stay fresh it needs an inflow and an outflow it needs to move. We, like the water, need to move, we have to flow in the spirit. God is not asking you to run, he is saying "Walk my child" he knows your weakness and strengths, he knows how fast or how slow you need to go. I hear God saying to us we are faith called. We were called to walk by faith, to trust only him. That’s why we get hurt sometimes because we weren’t faith walking or faith living. I hear the words again in my heart “You are faith called”.
Step into God's river and just flow, take that first step in faith and the next one will become more clearer. A baby is always wobbling when they take their first steps, then the second and third are not so scary. After a while of trusting they won't fall when they walk, they no longer need to hold on to someone or something, they are walking steadily on their own. A baby's feet get strengthened as they start using their legs and putting weight on them. The muscles begin to build as they grow, but the baby must use their legs in order for their feet to gain strength in order for them to walk.
Do you hear it now, Your daddy is calling you to walk in faith, He's your daddy, your guide. God is the one that needs to know all the details to your story. Because he's your daddy he's not going to let you down. Do you trust him enough to take those few steps he has asked you to take? It is up to you. Are you going to heed the call to walk by faith or are you going to stay in your familiar and become stagnant water? You have been Faith Called so what are you waiting for? Go ahead and step out.
