“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go.” Hebrews 11:8
I ran across a familiar phrase this past week: blind faith, as in “some things you just have to accept on blind faith.” I do not believe a Christian ever faces a situation which must be accepted on blind faith.
The closest example we have in the Bible of someone having to act on blind faith is Abraham. When God called him to leave Haran, he did not tell him where he was going. We cannot be sure Abram, as he was known at the time, was even a worshiper of Yahweh when God first called him. He appears rather out of the blue in the last few verses of Genesis 11. As chapter 12 opens, God called him to leave everything familiar and go to an unknown place. His willingness to trust God makes him a fit candidate for the roll call of the faithful in Hebrews 11.
But did he really act on blind faith, without not even a hint of support or prior understanding? I doubt it. Someone has asked “why did God choose call Abraham?” The answer is “perhaps because he was the only one listening.” God never forces Himself on people. He only calls those who make an effort to listen. Abram must have been listening, so his faith was not blind at all, but expectant. He knew Someone was there.
You may object that you have faced situations that have been far beyond anything you have ever encountered, and had to have faith to step out or to endure a new situation. Isn’t that blind faith? Not at all. You perhaps have “marched off the map,” of your previous experience, but all the ways God has blessed and guided you in the past prove to be a prelude to this new territory you must explore and embrace. That is not blind faith, it is simply your next step in faith.
You may be facing new and extraordinarily challenging circumstance, but God has used your life to this point to prepare you for this latest expression of His calling. Rather than asking you to act on blind faith, He is simply calling you to act on the evidence and experience at hand. That evidence comes in several forms.
Scripture. The Bible is uniquely sacramental in nature, for God communicates to us through it. Its guidance, wisdom, challenge, and comfort are unique and a sure mark of its inspiration. All of the Bible is at least nearly 2000 years old, and parts of it go back another full millennium. The fact that literature so ancient, coming to us through different languages and cultures, addresses so clearly the most important aspects of our lives is singularly remarkable.
We have many different kinds of ancient texts, but no one, that I know of, claims that the Enuma Elish inspires and guides them for life. Homer was brilliant, but neither the Iliad nor the Odyssey changes lives. The Bible does all these and more. The scripture has a ring of truth that inspires and encourages so that a Christian never faces any situation with blind faith.
God’s presence. One of the clearest teachings in the scripture is that God is with you. You cannot ignore or even diminish the vital importance of this truth. Christ abides in you and you in Christ. The Father is with you and will never fail or forsake you. The Holy Spirit whispers to your soul and reminds you of your adoption by the Father.
We tend to be “practical” today, relying on evidence and that which can be felt and explained. The problem with this shallow practical approach is that faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. God works quietly, often subtly, not to be evasive, but to drive us to deeper faith in Him. Trusting in God’s presence, exploring and cultivating it, therefore, is actually more practical than simply relying on what we can see and touch. The true and deep wonders of God are far beyond what eye can see or ear hear (1 Cor. 2:9).
The fellowship of the faithful. The trials you face are “common to all,” and in sharing your struggle with others you open up yourself to help from your brothers and sisters in Christ. You have not walked before the difficult path lying before you, but someone you know has, and God has a marvelous way of bringing those people to you.
You must never complain about a lack of direction from God. God is neither silent nor reluctant. In fact, in addition to not believing in blind faith, I also do not believe in unanswered prayers. God is not fickle. He listens and responds because He loves you. His answer may come in the form of an acquaintance who can guide and encourage you. Instead of accusing God of being silent you may need to confess that you are merely obtuse. Someone around you, of a more experienced faith, knows what you are facing and can help you through a hard time.
Without question we see through a glass darkly many times. Yes, we know in part, but that part means that we need never act with blind faith. God always provides enough light for you to take a step forward. Trust Him. Take the next step.
Grace,
Dr. Terry Ellis
June 26, 2011
I agree with you completely… which is rare… so rare I had to go re-read the blog and I disagree slightly in the area of scripture, but that is only because I have an intense distrust for the word of man, written, spoken, or implied. 🙂 God I trust completely, Even during the two teenage weeks I spent as an atheist and the following 15 years as an "Agnostic", aka "Heavily Confused Spiritualist", I trusted God completely. I just called him by different names… The Ego called him my survival skill, another name I called God was "Intuition". Other times I associated God with some sort of gas pain when I called him my "Gut Feel". Can you imagine saying "I can't go out tonight, I've got a bad case of God!" lol… I guess at some point he got sick of me calling him by all these names associated with myself because I crashed and burned and had to go to treatment 3 years straight, and when I started hearing "Higher Power" in the Bill W. world then "Innate Wisdom" in the Syd Banks/Health Realization/3 Principles world, I finally began to humble myself enough to say "Okay God, lets talk!"
Sometimes, I ask myself what the heck I was thinking turning his volume up. It's a tad like losing my mind sometimes, between him and that Jesus guy they are really on my ass sometimes! I say it kind of jokingly but I think anyone who listens close enough finds themselves saying "Oh man, give me a break, will you? It's Sunday you're supposed to be resting!!!" (I said that out loud in public and this old lady just started laughing uncontrollably.. I worried I would have to administer CPR… told you finding God made it seem like I was losing my mind! 🙂
Sorry, I just wrote a novel for a comment, but when I get going I find myself rattling on quite a bit… In my defense I sat awake in silence with even the television and radio off most of the night… I had a distinct feeling that God said to open up the bible but I refused… I then felt a distinct feeling of him saying "Okay… I tried to give you the easy way… " 🙂 I don't like the easy way and he knows it…
Long story short, I agree with you about "Blind Faith" the most… God doesn't want us to simply say "Yes Sir! Whatever you say Sir!" He wants us to know the reason we are following him! And just like our earthly parents, when we smart off, or rebel, he doesn't write us off but he certainly does have a way of letting us know if he doesn't approve… and sometime's he's been known to take out the belt… He is rather old school like that! 🙂