Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
I am sitting at my computer, writing as I often do. It’s amazing how dependent I have become on this bundle of technology. I am at a loss when I set down to it and for whatever reason, it does not work. I fret, fume, and make mostly futile efforts to get it on track, but when all else fails, I am forced to enlist the help of an expert. The truth is I know little about how this modern miracle works.
In my college days, I’d write my term papers in pencil on paper. Editing was accomplished with the use of an eraser to correct mistakes. Instead of rearranging paragraphs by “cutting and pasting,” I used manual methods to “cut and tape.” Research for the project meant hours spent in the library pouring through stacks of books and looking up files in the microfilm room. When my draft was completed, I’d search for someone to type up my work, for if I did it myself I would be forced to do a lot of repetitive work as I seldom could get through a page without an error.
Today, I can accomplish all this on the computer. Editing is easy. Errors are corrected by a simple point and click of my mouse. The rearrangement, additions, and subtractions of ideas are accomplished by the same. I can even use editing programs to clean up my language usage to make my work appear more professional. Research is as simple as googling on the internet.
Easy.
That is when things work as designed. The truth is I do not have the foggiest idea of how a computer works. I simply have faith that when I turn it on it will do what I need it to do. That is to say, I am forced to accept the computer on faith without any direct knowledge of how this product of engineering works. But note, the fact I use it in faith, does not make it any less real. In addition, I am rewarded every time I turn to it in faith, which is rewarded and strengthened every time I use the computer successfully.
As I thought about this, I remembered the verse written above. There are many things such as the existence of God we can know only through the eyes of faith. But like my use of the computer, this does not make them any less real. But when I accept them by faith and act on them in faith, my faith is rewarded.
But one could argue that the computer is different in that it is backed by science and written information that has been accumulated by those who have first-hand knowledge of the principles of how it works. Science is, however, accrued knowledge that is subject to change as new developments come to light. In this, science is not exact. In addition, I still have to take it all by faith since I possess no direct knowledge and am dependent on what the experts tell me. For example, I could never create a computer based on scientific principles because I don’t and probably never will have the necessary knowledge to do so. However, I can take on faith that what others have said is true and if I turn my computer on it will work.
In like fashion, my faith in God is also based on the first-hand knowledge of those who saw and heard from God Himself. As the principles of science are written down and passed on so has been the very Word of God. In fact, the New Testament was penned by eyewitnesses of the majesty and glory of Jesus Christ. It remains upon me to decide whether or not to trust their report but when I do, I am rewarded through experiences of my own.
That’s the simple truth. There is so much in life we take on faith, having no direct knowledge of our own until we take that step. We trust that the gas we put in our car is pure and will not make the thing blow up. We buy groceries in faith that proper steps have been taken so they are not contaminated. We trust that if we do good to others, they will do good back to us. And we are rewarded as our faith proves true.
It can be argued that there are so many fields of science that are based on as much faith as it takes to accept the existence of God. Theories and basic principles have changed dramatically over the years as new facts come to light. For example, the idea that the earth was the center of the universe was accepted as fact until Copernicus and Galileo proved otherwise.
Yet, God never changes. His Word stands true. We either receive it in faith or choose not to. The hitch is that once we receive it we acknowledge there is One who is greater than ourselves to Whom we owe our existence and allegiance. But when we get over that hurdle, we experience His loving presence. We understand we do not have to handle our burdens alone. He lifts the weights we cannot bear ourselves.
Yes, we come to God in faith, but that does not make Him any less real.