Life of Faith

6 days ago
3 min read

A lone figure walking a long road under a sky full of stars with faint light on the horizon. — Created using ChatGPT

1 Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. (Genesis 12:1-4)

1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with that person." 3 Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." 4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" (John 3:1-4)

When God spoke to a 75 year old Abram, whose equally aged wife - Sarai - was barren, and told him to set out for an unknown place, promising to make him a great nation, and Abram actually believed God and obeyed, that showed amazing faith. During the 25 years between this initial promise and a renamed Abraham and Sarah actually having one child together, Abram doubted, questioned, and made some poor decisions with hurtful consequences. Yet, God always reaffirmed the promise, answered Abrams questions, and turned Abram's mistakes into blessings. Through this refining process, Abraham's faith was counted by God as righteousness.

Nearly 2 millennia later, when Nicodemus approached Jesus secretly, Nicodemus had good reason to expect the same grace. And although Jesus seemed disappointed at the lack of understanding in such a learned Pharisee, Jesus answered his questions, reaffirmed God's promise of salvation, and made space for Nicodemus to see and receive God's blessings. Nicodemus went on to push for a just hearing when Jesus was arrested, and he accompanied Joseph of Arimathea in attending to Jesus' body after his crucifixion. While we don't know, for certain, that Nicodemus became a follower of Jesus, his actions show that he continued to growth in faith.

A life of faith is not a life of certainty or perfection, but a life of striving for obedience in the face of uncertainty. Our doubts, questions, and missteps will always reveal God's promise-keeping faithfulness. Those promises are not for a life of ease, but for a life of flourishing - willing to ask difficult questions and to speak truth when it's uncomfortable. May our perfectly imperfect lives be counted by God as righteousness.

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—

he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you—

the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.