But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
Folk legend in Switzerland recounts the story of William Tell. Among other things, William Tell was known for his expert marksmanship with a crossbow. In Habsburg where he lived, a nobleman who was seeking domination of the area, Albrecht Gessler, raised a pole with his hat on it in the town square and demanded that the townspeople bow before it. When Tell passed the hat and publicly refused to bow, he was arrested. Gessler had heard of Tell’s exceptional ability with a crossbow, so he devised a cruel plan. William Tell could avoid his execution sentence if he could shoot an apple from his son’s head in a single shot. With confidence in his father, Tell’s son stood boldly as the apple was split in two by the bolt from his father’s crossbow. Lack of faith in his father would probably have cost both of them their lives. If he had moved, he would have proven his lack of faith in his father’s ability.
Many Christians claim they have faith in the ability of their Heavenly Father to care for their needs and answer their prayers. However, when the situation demands that they prove their faith, they can often be found trying to solve their problems on their own. Faith is literally believing the things you cannot see. No one has seen God, and that is why we believe, by faith, that He exists. No human was there at Creation, and that is why it takes faith to believe that that is how the world was formed. And, no one can see God when they are in the middle of a trial. That is why it takes faith to believe that, when you pray, He is actually working to answer your prayers.
It is easy to say that you have faith, but it is a completely different thing to show that you have faith. Testing a chair from every angle before you sit down proves your lack of faith in the chair. Likewise, when you do everything you can to solve your problems before you go to God, then you prove your lack of faith in His ability to handle your situations. God rewards faith with answers. If you want to see your prayers answered, then you must step out in faith. Anything less than action is not faith. Our goal, then, must be to move from just saying we have faith to proving that we do by stepping out of the way and letting God handle each situation and problem in our lives.
Read also: Hebrews 11:1-6
Quote of the day: “When I try, I fail; when I trust, I succeed.”
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