Faith on Increase
I thought this photo to be striking, if not almost haunting. For me it represents the epitome of operating as a believer. The original photo, which I use in my social media interaction is real; however the image with the battery life showing, although captured by accident is more authentic. I've been experiencing a period of sleeplessness. While perusing my phone over in the night, and compelling myself to turn it off, I accidentally took a screenshot. A day or two later, I noticed what I'd done. In all truthfulness, this photo represents my frustration and literally being at wit's end, in terms of mental, physical, emotional and spiritual exhaustion, and yet the tiniest amount of faith is sufficient to propel us, refuel us and provide the tenacity to go further. Yet faith is not necessarily visible by the naked eye, and doesn't always feel as tangible as holding it in our hand as pictured. If anything the representation emphasizes the significance of attempting to embrace what feels as though is out of our grasp.
I have no idea of how many scriptures there are in relation to faith; likely not nearly as many as the narratives about faith. This suggests to me that it is pointless to count the number of times that God has ushered in victory, and instead direct our attention to the fact that He does. When I'm at my lowest, if I entangle myself with a counting system, the enemy will trick me into justifying other reasons as to why faith prevailed. It's because of his trickery that it is more advantageous to focus on the One who is solely responsible for overcoming, regardless of the circumstances at play or the numerical constellations.
When we focus on the amount of energy we personally have for endurance, we undoubtedly will come up short. Luke 17:6 affirms, "So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you." I've known this scripture for a long time. I've also held a mustard seed in my hand and marveled at its size in terms of it's representation of what can be accomplished through God. However, I failed to consider the verse that precedes which reads, "And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” Uh oh. Right. Did you catch it? The apostles made this statement in response to the Lord commanding them on the principle of forgiveness. Perhaps the most effective paradigm is to operate within the confines of faith when we are confronted with weariness around forgiving those who harm us. Now to be sure, forgiveness does not equate with restoration; but it can perhaps enable us to rest and to restore and to reclaim what was lost in terms of our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual exhaustion. When we decree and declare, "Increase our faith," we are petitioning God to assist us with that which does not feel possible, tangible, doable, all the while acknowledging that through Him the change we desire may come forth. What percentage are you operating under? Better still, what percentage can you operate through faith?
What I hold in my hand is inordinately more significant that what I feel, what I hear and what I see. When I am consciously aware that my battery life in response to the cares of life, I must go to where I can recharge, to gain my sense of compassing and to obtain what I need for sustainability. As I reconnect with the Creator, I am able to Note to self: Even when I am operating at what feels like my rock bottom or 11%, through faith in God, I am still able to uproot trees and things because we serve a mighty and powerful God, in whom there is neither shadow of turning. I can sleep. I can rest. I can worship. Singing, "Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me (and you)!"