The movie “Pearl Harbor” features a scene where President Roosevelt, seated in his wheelchair, gathers his cabinet in the War Room of the White House, following the Japanese attack. He wants to launch a direct attack on Japan, but his advisors are fearful & skeptical about the possibility. A decorated general speaks up. “Mr. President, with all due respect, what you’re asking can’t be done.” Roosevelt stares back in defiance, & without saying a word, struggles to pull himself with his braced legs out of his wheelchair. He pushes aside the aide who attempts to help him. At last, exhausted, he stands & declares, “Do not tell me it can’t be done!”
Faith makes the same declaration. Faith isn’t some kind of nebulous feeling that we work up. It’s not just talk & affirmation. Even demons believe in God — and shudder (James 2:19). Faith is trust, reliance, & wholehearted commitment. Faith understands the trustworthiness of God & puts its trust in His promises. Faith is confidence that God’s Word is true & the conviction that acting upon that Word will bring His blessing.
Corrie ten Boom, who survived a Nazi concentration camp, said: “Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, & receives from God the impossible.” Your confidence in God’s ability to handle your personal problems affects your entire Christian life. Faith makes the difference in our perspective of problems & obstacles. Faith keeps us from giving up when we fail. Everyone feels defeated from time to time. But Scripture states, & as the beloved hymn reminds us, “Faith is the victory that overcomes the world” (1 John 5:4). Each time your faith is tested, it grows bigger.
Faith will not always get us what we want, but it will get what God wants us to have, for His glory & our good. The apostles said to Jesus, “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). How much faith do you need? Jesus said that if you have faith as tiny as a mustard seed, God can do the incredible things you ask (Matt. 17:20)! Faith makes Goliath the giant seem more like Grumpy the dwarf.
Someone has said: “Blessed are the believers–people who have come to grips with their doubts in an honest & forthright way & have made a commitment of their will to trust in the care & providence of God” (John 20:29). Paul wrote that the Christian lives by “faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). We don’t know all the how’s or why’s of life, but we know Someone who does. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know Someone who’s already there.
By faith, Peter walked on water when Jesus invited him to! Yes, he lost sight of Jesus’ power & began sinking as he looked at the waves & wind. At least Peter took the risk & got out of the boat, while the other disciples just watched. Peter was a faith walker, not just a wave watcher. But today, instead of walking on water, many believers are barely tiptoeing on ice rinks. We make the excuse, “I’m not Peter or Abraham or Moses.” But faith is effective not because of who I am, but because of who my faith is in.
When we begin looking around at the “common sense” of the world, we begin doubting the power of God. On several occasions during His ministry, Christ had pointed words for those who exhibited “little faith.”
One time Jesus said to a woman whose brother had died, & so thought it was too late for Jesus to help, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God” (John 11:40)? Jesus went to the cemetery & called Lazarus out of his grave.
Another time, Jesus encounters a man whose son is tormented by an evil spirit that produces epileptic symptoms & muteness. The father says, “‘…If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’ ‘If you can?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for him who believes.’ Immediately, the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief’ (Mark 9:22-24)!
Who can help me with my problems? Who can give me strength in my weakness? Who can bring life back into my marriage? Who can give me life after I die? God can! God can do for you what no one else can. Only God can forgive sins, release your guilt, & save you. When you need someone to heal your broken heart–God can. God can deliver you from alcohol & drugs.
Jesus can change water into wine. What do you need changed? He can multiply a few loaves & fishes to feed a multitude. What do you need multiplied? He can strengthen & heal those who are physically disabled & chronically ill. He can cleanse the leper. What do you need? He can still a terrible storm on the Sea of Galilee. What storms do you need stilled? He can cast out demons. What demonic things do you need cast out of your life?
We believe in a God who created the universe out of nothing. Don’t tell me it can’t be done! We believe in a God who can raise the dead. Don’t tell me it can’t be done! Is anything too difficult for Him? Help us, Lord, to believe you can!