What We Think About GodSample

THE TWIN SISTER OF FAITH

Faith; it’s the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, scripture tells us. It’s the basis for our understanding of who God is. We walk by faith, scripture says, fixing “our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 2:12). The apostle Peter, when confronted by Jesus about his belief, replied, “Lord, where would we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). 

The Bible is a woven narrative of faith, identified in every book of the Bible, from the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) through the wisdom and prophetic books and the Gospels and Epistles all the way until the culmination: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20). 

We see faith lived out in God’s people throughout all generations: Abraham, Isaac, Rahab, Joshua, Deborah, David, Ruth, Esther, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Mary, Nicodemus, Peter, John, Luke, Paul, on and on. 

Missionary Lilias Trotter once said, “Believe in the darkness what you have seen in the light.” Missionary Oswald Chambers said it this way: “Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.” 

In 2015, before passing away due to cancer, author and mother of four, Kara Tippetts wrote this: “My little body has grown tired of battle, and treatment is no longer helping. But what I see, what I know, what I have is Jesus. He has still given me breath, and with it I pray I would live well and fade well.”

This intangible pursuit of faith is, at times, nearly impossible to hold onto—as it should be, for it is not ours to drudge up. It is only God’s to give. Preacher Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “I would recommend you either believe God up to the hilt, or else not to believe at all. Believe this book of God, every letter of it, or else reject it.” This is the true fact of what we believe about God—that he is believable, and worth believing in.

The Latin phrase Noli timere is the whisper to us when all seems uncertain in the world, in our lives, and in our witness: Do not be afraid. 

Do not be afraid. Have faith, for the one who made the heavens is the one who carries you, equips you, and will be with you each moment of every day.

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. When you hear the phrase Noli timere (Do not be afraid!), what comes to mind as the areas where you most struggle with fear? Is it health-related? In your family? Your job? Your friendships?

2. What, in your opinion, is the connection between fear and faith?

3. What, in your opinion, is the connection between faith and our witness?

4. As you consider your witness in the world, how can faith in a loving God be a springboard for sharing the gospel?