Flying by Faith

“It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.” Hebrews 11:8

 
Earlier this summer, my husband and I took a much needed vacation, just the two of us. I had been so pre-occupied with all of the necessary preparations during the weeks that led up to our departure, that I was anxiously awaiting the upcoming stillness that lied ahead. As our first plane took off into the vast openness, I found myself mesmerized with the beauty of the sky that surrounded us. We became like a speck of dust against the blue and white canvas that encompassed the plane. I began meditating in deep thought, and could only imagine what was to come. As we reached our maximum cruising altitude, I decided to open up the Word, sit back, and let Him speak to me. Almost immediately, before I could even dig deep into my study, I could sense a stirring within my heart. The quietest voice could be heard, yet it was loud and clear. It was almost as if the pilot himself had spoken over the intercom instructing the cabin to fasten our seat belts as turbulence was approaching.

“I will prepare you, but be ready.”

If you have walked in faith for any length of time, you have hopefully come to realize that the changing of seasons is inevitable. They will come upon us, it is just a matter of when. God allows certain things to take place for numerous reasons. It may be to transition you to become better equip from a bigger picture perspective, to humble you, to bring you closer to Him, or even to use your season as a platform for others to witness. Whatever the case may be, He will always prepare you for what is coming. Are you actively making it a point to listen? Do seasons of change catch you off guard, or is your armor already fitted for battle?

One of my favorite books in the Bible is Hebrews, chapter eleven. Many types of commentary refer to this particular set of scripture as “The Hall of Faith.” Verse 4: “It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did.” Verse 5: “It was by faith that Enoch was taken into heaven without dying” or how about Verse 7: “It was by faith that Noah built an ark to save his family from the flood.....” Did you catch the pattern here?

Each of the people listed throughout this book were those of faith who died without ever seeing their fruit of their faith on earth. Yet, they never lost their vision, their hearts remained focused on what He had prepared for them. They understood that the greatest of all rewards was what they would receive eternally through their faith in Him. I do not know what it is you may have on your plate right now. However, I do know that if you are not eating the fruit of His word, friends you are missing out on the sweetest part of the feast. Each of those written about here in this chapter had a choice; to follow what was being asked of them or not. God may very well be calling on you right now. Are you listening?
The next time you find yourself among a season of change, just as an airplane relies on its engines to propel it through the skies; allow God to be your pilot and keep your tanks full, steady your course, sit back, relax, spread your wings and just enjoy the ride.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Stefanie Calens
Writer

Blossoming Patience

For 10 years we’ve had a dwarf grapefruit tree in our backyard whose sole purpose has apparently been to block errant soccer balls and provide symmetry for our landscaping motif. For 10 long years we waited patiently for this little tree to produce fruit – yet the tiny tree yielded nothing.

This past spring my boys were playing soccer in the back yard when my son kicked a ball against the base of the tree. When he retrieved the ball what should his wondering eyes behold, but a grapefruit that in his words was “as big as my head!”

Finally the little tree that wouldn’t – finally did! Now months later, our little tree that for so long was an underachiever is at last filled with giant citrusy orbs vying for their place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Because we couldn’t see progress in our tree for 10 years, we assumed that nothing would ever develop on the tree. Little did we know that under the ground the roots of the tree were growing just waiting for the right opportunity to blossom and thrive.

Watching the miraculous re-birth of a tree that we’d long since given up on reminds me how God oftentimes works in our lives. We pray repeated prayers only to feel as though God’s not listening to us and that we’ll never get an answer. Just because we can’t see progress with regards to a prayer request doesn’t mean that God is ignoring us; it simply means that He may be working behind the scenes doing something less obvious – waiting for just the right time and opportunity to answer our prayers.

Our little tree has taught me the importance of waiting on God and trusting that His plan is not always the same as my plan. Just because we can’t see progress doesn’t mean that progress isn’t happening. Be it a landscaping challenge or something more serious like healing or salvation – we simply need to learn to wait on God.

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.  James 5:7-8 (NLT)

Blessings in Christ,
Kathy Kurlin
Author
www.kathleenkurlin.com