"an act of faith"

Wednesday, October 9, 2019 (6:18 a.m.)

Blessed God,

I’m here. Looking. Seeking. Wanting. Needing.

Mm, yes Father. Turning to You. Not knowing.

Yes. Not knowing.

Believing. Trusting. Hoping. Wanting. “Rinse and repeat.”

Blessed, Holy God, my thoughts are scattered. They’ve yet to come together to form a single direction.

There is such need Father. Emotional. Spiritual. Desperate need.

And Who do we have to meet those needs? You!

Thank You Father. Praise You. Bless You. Yes!

Thank You that we get to come before You. Knowing nothing except that You are good. Holy. Perfect.

In knowing, trusting, believing You to be all You claim we get to rest. Depending on You to be True.

(6:48 a.m.)

Father, I confess to You that I don’t understand the first thing about faith. I’m reading in Hebrews 11. The Message repeatedly using the phrase “By an act of faith…”

I breathe in deeply. With hope.

A RECOVERY THEME titled The Necessity of Faith in The Life Recovery Bible begins by reminding us that “Faith is ‘the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see’ (11:1).”

Here I come back to confessing that I don’t even begin to understand what this really means. I want to hope. Yet there is a hesitation. An unwillingness to get my hopes up.

Thank You Father that You are here to take that FEAR away. As deep as the resistance to completely trusting You goes, a genuine flicker of hope lies even deeper. Thank You Lord.

Thank You that we can choose to trust You. Hope in You.

Lord, there are hugely sad, traumatic, dramatic incidences going on around us. Right here in the midst of it all I call on Your Holy name. Jesus, I trust in You!

Resuming in The Necessity of Faith, “Recovery is based on faith - our confident trust that God will help us do what we are powerless to do. As we place our trust in God, He will transform us with His power. He has promised this to all who believe.”

I am freed by Jesus to ask anything of You Dearest Father. It is true faith I am seeking. Absolute trust that You do indeed know what You are doing. Especially when we can’t see or understand.

*insights ABOUT TRUE FAITH (The Life Recovery Bible) “In Hebrews 11:1-3, 39-40 we find that faith blends our trust in the dependability of God working in the unseen spiritual realm and our reliance upon the evidence of God’s past actions in the real world. Those who want a vibrant spiritual life must live by such faith (11:2).”

Father, I quote these things back to You in hopes of seating Your Truth and promises more deeply within my being.

Hope in Faith (The Life Recovery Bible) “Step 2 We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Step Two is often referred to as ‘the hope step.’ In coming to believe that a Power greater than ourself can restore us to sanity, we will remember what it was like to live sanely and have the faith to hope that sanity can return. ‘What is faith?’ The Bible asks. ‘It is the confidence assurance…’ (Hebrews 11:1).

“How can we be confident that something we want is going to happen, especially if all our hopes have been dashed? How can we risk believing that the life we hope for is waiting for us around the bend?”

Risk believing. Yes Father. I am seeking the courage to risk believing. Thank You for the privilege of asking You for what we want and need.

A father had gone to Jesus (Mark 9:22-24) asking Him to help his young son. Jesus’ response? “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly replied, “I do believe, but help me not to doubt!”

“We can start by asking God to help us have more faith. Then we can ask Him for the courage to hope for a better future.”

Courage to hope. A tremendous act of faith. This I genuinely ask of You Blessed God.

You have allowed me time to sit. Relax. Reflect. Revive.

I am asking now for Your guidance in taking my next steps into action. Lead that I will follow.

I love You. I absolutely want to live this life of faith (Hebrews 12:1). ‘Stripping off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. Running the race that God has set before us.’

Again I ask You Father, do all You must to make this so. I love You. I need You. I ask You. And I thank You. Father, do all You must. Thank You. Amen.

(809 words ~ 8:13 a.m.)