The Gift

I have battled with Scriptures that describe people who have ‘little faith’ as in ‘Peter walking on the water’ or ‘the disciples not being able to cast out an evil spirit or heal someone’, yet we are told that faith and trust is a gift from God.

As we struggle to believe, it’s during the struggle that we find out who God is. This is like the time He raised Lazarus to life. Jesus knew that in the end it would be alright,
but He still wept with Mary at the death of her brother. He knows what will happen to us but still walks with us and weeps with us through the dark times when we think our prayers are unanswered, because He knows the future and what He has planned.

It’s often when we fall on His grace alone that we find the power to receive His gift of faith, and to become a great Christian or a mighty evangelist. ‘God has chosen poor people to be rich in faith, and the kingdom of heaven is theirs, for that is the gift God has promised to all those who love him’ (James 2:5).

If the butterfly did not have to go through the struggle to get out of the chrysalis it would never gain the strength in its beautiful wings to fly. So God allows us to struggle sometimes, but is with us all the time while we are learning and getting stronger in faith.

Often we would love to do something to help receive our salvation, but we can do nothing. As the famous old hymn says – ‘There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin, He only, could unlock the gate if heaven and let us in’. Jesus has done it all.

The Gift of faith for salvation, healing and restoration is by grace alone. If we seek the Giver and not the just the gift we may well find that we receive the gift as well.

Prayer: Open our hearts that we may receive,
Your gift of faith to help us believe,
Things that your Word tells us of you –
Open our lives to live in your truth.

Lou Lewis