We all face many trials of faith during a life time that tests where our vision is directed but we take comfort and consolation in believing that God sees and knows our every situation. The following story illustrates this belief: One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump! I’ll catch you.” He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: “Jump! I will catch you.” But the boy protested, “Daddy, I can’t see you.” The father replied, “But I can see you and that’s all that matters.”
When we know that God and His Son, Jesus, knows our troubles, it gives us hope that deliverance will come, but it may not come in the way we hope. The trials of Job was so extensive that he mourned the day he was born, but he feared and believed in a God that is able to provide. We read about the knowledge of God of His situation. “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10). Job would come forth shining brighter than ever as he was blessed twice as much as he had before his great trials. His faith continued to look up and the mountains were finally removed.
Jesus taught us the value of faith in the life of the believer who is facing adversity and its power to overcome. Jesus said, “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matt. 17:20). Jesus said this to his disciples who could not cast out an unclean spirit to cure the possessed lunatic son of a man. They had the power but unbelief was evident according to the words of Jesus.
Faith can remove many mountainous obstacles in our lives that will make us better soldiers in the service of God. There was a woman in another country that trudged many miles around a mountain to attend church on the other side. She prayed that the mountain would be moved so that she could make her journey to worship shorter and easier. After some time elapsed, heavy equipment began to appear and work was begun to construct a tunnel through the mountain. The tunnel was finally finished and the woman could go worship through the tunnel instead of around the mountain. The mountain wasn’t removed but she was able to get through it.
When we know that the Lord sees us then we can jump into or fall into His everlasting arms like the illustration of the father above asking his son to jump into His arms, even though the son could not see the father. Remember however that with the children of God it is NOT a blind leap of faith. Faith believes the impossible and embraces the imperishable as faith reaches beyond our earthly existence. David said, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” (Psalm 121:1). The Lord doesn’t suffer us to be tempted above any thing we aren’t able to bear because He makes the way of escape. While it is true that we walk by faith and not by sight in this life, the child of God is not blind as his eyes have been opened; consequently, it is faith that sees the invisible just as it was with Moses who endured. The scripture says, “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” (Heb. 11:27).
When we know that God knows, it gives us courage to press on looking unto Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith. He has promised to never leave or forsake His children. The Psalmist said, “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.” (Psalm 27:10). The Lord God is our refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms so keep the faith looking up and getting over or through the mountains of life.–June 24, 2015–Elder Larry Wise
