Scripture:
Hebrews 11:8-12 (NIV)
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
And by faith, even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
Reflection:
I was working around the house a few weeks back. I started a project that could quite possibly have gone very wrong. I was rebuilding our well system at the farm, adding a completely new layout to the well, adding a new process to oxygenate the water to enhance the media in the iron filter, and then I added an electronic descaling system that allowed for a crystallization process of the liquid calcium and magnesium in the water to protect our pipes from iron rust build-up. I got about halfway through the project when I remembered to pray and invite the Lord into my work. It wasn’t necessarily a cry for help, but rather, Lord help me do my best and help all of the planning that I’ve done come together and work. To be quite frank, our water quality had been poor and we were done with having iron-rich water.
It is during these kinds of moments that I think we learn the “Help me Lord,” kind of faith.
J.D Walt, a self-described farmer, poet, and theologian said: “There are 2 kinds of faith – ‘Help Me’ faith and ‘Have Me’ faith.”
That “Help me” kind of faith is where we call out to God in our time of need. While this kind of faith leads us to Jesus, the “Have Me” faith moves us into God’s purposes for our lives. This is the type of faith centered on surrender and consecration, which is the harder type of faith to exercise.
If I’m truly honest with myself, I unfortunately live most of my days with the “Help Me” version of faith more often than I care to admit. “Lord, help me with my day. Help me accomplish all that I have to do today. Help me with this project or help me pay my bills.” While asking the Lord for help is good, noble, and what we should be doing as followers of Jesus, I’d still call this kind of faith – Faith 1.0.
“Have me” faith is about surrender and consecration. It is faith 2.0+. This is the kind of faith that is more about Jesus and less about me. It’s the type of faith the Apostle Paul declared when he penned these words to the Galatian church.
“I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself for me” (Galatians 2:20-21)
While I know I will continue to exercise the “Help me Lord, kind of faith,” for me to continue to move deeper into the purposes of God for my life and our family, I must be asking the Holy Spirit to guide me to have the faith that says “Have all of me, Lord.” Even if the help doesn’t come, I’m still all in. When problems arise…I will consecrate myself once again for your purposes. This is the kind of faith that was most beautifully expressed in both Abraham and Sarah during their lifetimes. This is a higher quality of faith, the faith of consecration that will certainly reveal more of God and move us toward His purposes in our lives.
May God give you Faith 2.0 as you as you continue to follow after Jesus!
David
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