Conversations with the heart:

I believe.

Two words. So easy to say. I believe laughter is good for the soul. I believe in the future of my children. I believe in God. I believe in the value of hard work and restorative rest and in taking care of my body.

I believe so many things.  But do the thoughts of my mind and my actions give evidence to what I believe?

My children and wife know that I am particularly cautious (i.e.phobic) around high places. Standing next to the railing overlooking a deep canyon below, I walk carefully and slowly toward the edge…if I must. And before I lean on that railing, I examine it carefully asking, “Do I really believe this railing is secure enough to bear my weight? Should I lean on it to gain a better view?” If I really believe it is plenty sturdy enough I will demonstrate my belief by leaning against it. It’s an act of trust you and I perform every day. We sit in a chair, we ride in a car, we confide in a friend, we dare tell God how we honestly feel, because we believe we are secure in doing so. We believe the chair will hold our weight, the car will be safe, our friend will understand and maintain confidentiality, and God will be ever forgiving and patient with us. We believe, and so we act on that belief.

Do you believe God hears and answers your prayers? Even if the answer is slow to come and not what you had expected? We were challenged with this question. “Do you believe God WILL heal you of this terminal cancer and deadly fusarium infection?” Of course, we know God CAN do this. He is afterall the one and only true, all powerful God of the universe. He speaks and the world is created, mountains are formed, living beings breathe, the sick are healed, and even the dead are raised! Nothing is impossible for our great God.

But does believing make it so? On the one hand, God has endowed us with the incredible gift of  exercising mind over body. He allows us to rise above circumstances by understanding the secret of being content. Whether we have much or little, whether in good health or bad, whether alone or surrounded by friends, there is one reality that looks at the circumstance and another reality that rises above them. It is how we discover joy in the midst of sorrow, hope when surrounded by despair, strength in utter weakness, and peace in the middle of the storm. Believing in what is actually true and promised by God makes it so. It invites his will for our lives “on earth as it is in heaven.”

On the other hand, merely believing doesn’t make it so. I might believe the stock market will rise only to find it fall instead. I may confide in someone believing them to be a true friend only to discover their betrayal. Believing doesn’t always make it so. The prophets of Baal believed in a false god who had no power. Elijah believed in the Lord God Almighty who was not only able and willing but did demonstrate his power in response to Elijah’s belief. What we believe makes a difference!

There’s no point in asking for peace if we insist on worrying and arguing with others.  There’s no purpose in seeking joy if we only look down upon our own sorrows; no point of asking for healing if we convince ourselves we are doomed.

We clearly see the fires that rise up around us. Words like “poor prognosis, 100% mortality, great chance of future relapse, high risk of treatment-related mortality,” have a way of making circumstance stand out as the only reality. But there is another reality that we see when we lift our our eyes from our troubles and turn them upon Jesus.

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.”

And so, until he tells us otherwise, we believe in God’s desire to grant us more years of ministry together and pray accordingly. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who, as they were about to be thrown into the fiery furnace said, “Our God will save us from this fire. But even if he doesn’t (we will remain faithful to him),” even if God has decided to heal me in heaven, he remains such a great and merciful God – far more than I deserve.

Dear heart, believe. But not only believe. Put your trust in what is always true and respond freely from that belief.