"Faith Has Substance"

By Pastor Jerry LaFave

Personal experience is a strong motivator. When we personally witness or experience something, we are convinced of authenticity. After all, life itself is the best educator. For example, a small child often learns the truth of mommy and daddy by experience. Yes, repeatedly protective parents have faithfully instructed, "Don't touch the stove; its hot!" But "hot" doesn't have much meaning until the stove is touched. Only then does the inquisitive child realize that mommy and daddy are right, "hot" hurts when touched. Experience is convincing truth.

The same is true with Christian faith; experience fortifies the reality and truthfulness of being a believer in God and His word. When God, our heavenly parent speaks, I should be able to confirm His instruction. I should be able to clearly see that His words are true. Of course, it is important to know that what we attribute to God is actually coming from God and we are not manipulating His words or being influenced by bias or prejudice. The pathway to knowing God's will requires humility. Only the sincere seeker for truth will be satisfied. It is the teachable that are taught.

As I shared with you in my first article, a teachable moment confronted me in during the war in Vietnam when I was wounded in 1967. In that moment, I sought truth and was not disappointed. God's presence brought comfort and miraculous intervention could not be denied. Truth for me was God hears prayer. From that moment on, I was a believer in the power of prayer. I soon discovered a text of scripture that assured me, God hears ever sincere prayer. It reads, "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers" (1 Pet. 3:12). Experience had taught me to trust God's word.

Other texts have given me much comfort and instruction on prayer and other subjects. I have found the word of God, the Bible, to be a storehouse of wealth which provides guidance for happiness, health, financial security, meaningful relationships, peace of mind, hope for the future, and much more. In each area, God's counsel and prescription applied to life proved true. A willingness to listen and to exercise His instruction allowed God to prove that His word could be trusted.

Consider, for instance, the Ten Commandments found in Exodus twenty. One would have to admit that the high ideals of God's law provide an ideal environment for security, trust, and meaningful relationships. The family or nation that applies this standard to life realizes the blessings of individual respect and value. Such respect is foundational to what we call "love." In our world with so many influences working against the well-being of society, deeply rooted convictions respecting the values of the Ten Commandments restores security to the moral fabric of our lives. Certainly, we realize an environment of mutual respect and trust brings happiness.

Throughout scripture, the reader is introduced to time tested values and principles. Benefits we experience from them demonstrate enduring qualities. From the pen of the ancients, we discover knowledge of the human experience that reflects a wisdom, which could only come from the Creator of life. Like a manufacturer's operating manual, the Creator encourages, for best results, follow the enclosed instruction. Listen to His words given to Israel: "Oh that they had such a heart in them that they would fear (meaning: respect or love) Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and their children forever." "Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess " (Deut. 5:29, 32, 33). There is substance to faith. The blessings of God speak loudly of His desire to restore happiness to a world that has forgotten Him. I encourage you to search the scriptures and find wisdom that brings meaning and value back into our living. The Bible is filled with rich ore waiting to be mined.