Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the one who is leading. It is a life of FAITH, not of intellect and reason, but a life of knowing who makes us ‘go’… The life of faith is not a life of mounting up with wings, but a life of walking and not fainting. (Oswald Chambers)
Greetings dear family of our beloved Saviour Jesus Christ, may the glory of the Risen Lord fill you with joy and hope. Amen.
Oswald says: “Faith never knows where it is being led, but it knows the one who is leading.” What a joy it is to know the hand that leads us; what confidence and peace we possess in this knowledge. And isn’t it also a good thing that we don’t always know where we are being led? I for one could not have coped with the thought of the many years of my illness (14 years at this time) that I would have to face if I had known in advance about my illness, but God leads us one day at a time, and this is all that we need, His loving hand to guide us day by day.
“It is a life of faith, not of intellect and reason.” Thank goodness also that we don’t need to rely upon our own intellect to know Jesus; we only need to hear His calling and have the simple faith of a child to follow that call. We must remember though, that faith is not simply believing that Jesus is Lord, Scripture tells us that even the demons believe this and shudder. No, faith is believing all that Holy Mother Church has revealed to us, either through the Gospels, Sacred Tradition, or the Magisterial teachings of the Church. Faith is also believing that every circumstance is under God’s control and that nothing good is ever wasted or lost.
Above all the gifts we receive faith is the most beautiful; with faith comes assurance, with assurance comes peace, and with peace comes our joy. That joy is made complete in the hope that we have been given at Easter time. In the words of Frances Jone Van Alstyre: “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine: O what a foretaste of glory divine!” Frances was blind for most of her life, but like the faithful centurion in the Gospel (Luke 7) she did not need to see to believe … blessed assurance!
Oswald then tells us:
“The life of faith is not a life of mounting up with wings, but a life of walking and not fainting.”
We may possess all the faith in the world but we shall still encounter many trials. Our faith will not remove these trials from us, but it will carry us through them, not by letting us mount up on wings, but by letting us walk without fainting. If we have faith, we shall have victory, because this is what Jesus has promised us – and won for us on Calvary! We shall have victory because His power will be with us, and also His promise that we shall not be overcome. PRAISE BE JESUS!
Jesus, Risen Lord, we thank you for paying the debt that we could not pay, and for the gift of faith, we praise and adore You: All glory and honour be Yours now and forever. Amen
