Grace Notes & Announcements

Dear Grace Family,

      We’ve all heard the term “blind faith.”  We think of it as the thing we should strive for in our walk with the Lord.  The ability to completely trust in the sovereignty and power of God to manage our lives in the best possible way.

     The truth is God is completely able to manage every aspect of our lives – but He doesn’t expect us to walk around with our eyes squeezed tight, holding on like we’re on some crazy scary roller coaster.  He wants us to walk in faith with eyes wide open!  He wants us to witness His great power and love in every heartbeat.

    The dictionary definition of blind faith is “belief without true understanding, perception or discrimination.”  But scripture defines it as the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  The substance (defined as that of which a thing consists) of our hopes, our prayers, and the knowledge of our Father, who has proved Himself over and over – even though He doesn’t have to.

    I love how the Message bible reads: “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd” (Hebrews 11:1-2).

    Our faith is anything but blind because God continues to justify it by His love, His actions, and His intervention in every aspect of our lives.  He’s so good to us that He understands even our inability to believe without these constant reminders of His love. 

   When things do go right, we begin to think we’ve achieved the victory on our own.  We forget that “every good and perfect gift is from Him (James 1:17).  Sometimes God must let us fail -- perhaps to help us remember that we aren’t in the driver’s seat, or because what we want isn’t what’s best for us.  But at the end of the day, He continues to act lovingly on our behalf – proving His uncompromising love. Just because the answer is no, doesn’t mean He’s not listening.

   Faith isn’t blind.  We see it in every sunrise and sunset.  We hear it in every wave that crashes to the shore, or cry of a newborn child.  We can smell it in the aroma of honeysuckle and we can feel it every time He moves mountains to help us. 

    Just because we don’t see an answer to the specific request we place before the Father, doesn’t mean we can’t see Him moving on our behalf.  Our real strength and maturity will lie in our ability to learn to trust Him no matter the circumstance.

He is El Roi – the God who sees us!

Be blessed my Grace Family.  God is on the throne!

   Pastor Bobbie