Happy 4th of July!! This is the time of year to celebrate the freedom that we have been granted, but, as the slideshow at church this morning reminded me, that freedom can only truly be found one way - in the shadow of Christ on the cross.
John 8:36 - So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Acts 13:39 - Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin
Romans 6:6-7 - For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Romans 6:18 - You have been set free from sin
Romans 8:1 - Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free
Romans 8:20-21 - For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
2 Corinthians 3:17 - Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Galatians 5:1 - It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Galatians 5:13 - You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.
Hebrews 9:15 - For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
1 Peter 2:16 - Live as free people.
Revelation 1:5 - To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.
Praise God for freedom, but it is not this that I am celebrating today. There is something else that is saturating my life right now, finding its way into every nook and cranny, spilling into every crevice, consuming every waking moment, steering every thought, guiding every conversation, setting the course of every day...
Faith.
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb 11:1 ESV), our handle on what we can't see (Heb 11:1 The Message), a firm belief in something for which there is no proof, complete trust (Merriam-Webster). Lebenese American writer, Khalil Gibran, says it this way: "Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof.” Oswald Chambers, who wrote My Utmost for His Highest, states that faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time. The picture of faith that rings truest to me is this one by Patrick Overton:
When you walk to the edge of all the light you have and take that first step into the darkness of the unknown, you must believe that one of two things will happen:
There will be something solid for you to stand upon,
or you will be taught how to fly.
In this time of transition, I currently have no job, which means no source of income, little independence, and constant searching. No house, no mailing address. For the first time ever, my mail is collecting in a PO Box. Most of my belongings are packed in boxes sitting in a 10'x10' cube at the nearest Public Storage. I have no space that is just mine, nowhere to relax without worrying about being an inconvenience I am relying on the goodness of a friend for somewhere to sleep and somewhere to spend some of the plethora of free time I have found.
But the biggest absence in my life right now is the knowledge of where I am headed, where I'll land, what's in store for me as soon as tomorrow. My immediate future is incredibly unclear. Not just unclear, it's like a solid veil I can't see through. Darkness...
However, in the midst of all the unknown, the greatest part is that I know that there will be something to stand on. I will learn how to fly. This is the first time in my life where I've had absolutely nothing to depend on but my belief that God will come through. And I am totally content in that. I am not scared, not worried, not wondering because I know that 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, from now to eternity that my God is faithful 100% of the time. I don't know where I'm going or how to get there, but I know wherever it is and whatever path I take it is what God has always planned for me.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139:6
And it will be exactly where I'm supposed to be.
Praise God for the family and church I grew up in and all my experiences to this point that added to my foundation, instilled and inspired my faith and prepared me for this moment, praise Him for His grace in allowing me to place my faith in Him, and praise God for being forever true to every facet of His character.
Somewhere there is an explosion of light at the end of this tunnel!
