Elements of Faith – The Wonder

Elements of Faith

The Wonder

“that your faith might not be in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God”
1 Corinthians 2:5

The mystery of a living faith holds distinct elements that are manifested in the life of every true believer. Having briefly touched on the mystery of faith we move on to the wonder of faith.

Mystery and Wonder

Hidden within the Mystery of Faith is the impetus and the power to step into the Will of God. It is here that the mystery of faith becomes a participation in the wonder of our God. In the Gospels we see faith impelling Peter to step out of the boat to touch the wonder of God’s power amid a storm. It is in this step of faith that we discover the wonder of our God. Only faith can reveal to us His majesty.

A man of God (Henry Blackaby) once asked an important question and answered it.

“Will God ever ask you to do something you are not able to do?”

“The answer is “yes”; all the time!”

Far too many Christians limit themselves; the horizons of faith never extend beyond their own abilities. Their reasonings and calculations are based on the wisdom of men. We are all familiar with that voice within our own hearts declaring: “I could never do that”. The God of all Glory beckons us to step into the wonder of His faith. May we allow the Word of God to speak life and power beyond the limitations of human ability and begin to explore the vast supplies of our heavenly Father.

“that your faith might not be in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God”
1 Corinthians 2:5

It is our own innate wisdom that binds and shackles our experience from the wonder of God. A logical and rational faith will reduce the Christian experience to a dull and pedantic experience. True faith does not consider the limitations of self. In fact, it glories in them because it shows God’s power despite our human frailties.

“But without faith
it is impossible to please Him”
Hebrews 11:6

Faith honors Him when in our weakness we step into His mystery and by faith appeal to His strength.

God spoke to Paul:

“My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in weakness”
2 Corinthians 12:9

This word was given to Paul in response to him seeking God for healing of an infirmity. Too often we hold our flaws, our weaknesses, our imperfections of character, our timidity, our poor speech (as in Moses’ case), and any number of other excuses up to God to which He replies “my strength is made perfect in (your) weakness”!

Paul’s response to this powerful revelation was:

“Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

The wonder of our faith will be proportional to the verity of our faith. Jesus spoke to His disciples concerning the 5000:

“But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.”
Luke 9:13

The reckoning of man fails to apprehend the resources of God. We take inventory of ourselves and by that measure, we limit our God. Let us be instructed in the way of God: they used their resources to excuse their inability to feed the multitude while Jesus used their meager resources to feed the multitude. It is in our giving what we have that we discover His abundance! True faith draws from God His resources. The presumptuous “faith” of man reveals the arrogancy of man. It is a presumed faith that has not yet touched its own weakness. The greatness of God is revealed through our weakness and poverty. May we find joy in the discovery of our own poverty!

The Chase

“A dear friend of mine, who was quite a lover of the chase, told me the following story: ‘Rising early one morning,’ he said, ‘I heard the baying of a score of deerhounds in pursuit of their quarry. Looking away to a broad, open field in front of me, I saw a young fawn making its way across, and giving signs, moreover, that its race was well-nigh run. Reaching the rails of the enclosure, it leaped over and crouched within ten feet from where I stood. A moment later two of the hounds came over, when the fawn ran in my direction and pushed its head between my legs. I lifted the little thing to my breast, and, swinging round and round, fought off the dogs. I felt, just then, that all the dogs in the West could not, and should not capture that fawn after its weakness had appealed to my strength.’ So is it, when human helplessness appeals to Almighty God.”
A.C. Dixon

We have all known great disappointments and failures in regard to faith. These experiences are God’s great work of bringing us to the threshold of true faith. We read in the scriptures that the disciples came to Jesus wondering why they could not deliver the son of a father who had come to them in desperation. Jesus responded to His disciples: “because of your unbelief”. He did not tell them they were asking amiss; He spoke to their own inherent need for the true faith. We read later how these same disciples became apostolic ministrations who revealed great workings of God by the wonder of true faith.

We must grasp the heart of our Great Shepherd and His way with each of us individually. “All things work together for good…” Our failures and disappointments are all part of our journey into the true faith which glorifies God! The Living Faith of God has the tenacity to continue to reach and to continue to ask, for it rests upon an understanding of the Fatherhood of our God, not our own abilities.

The nature of true faith glorifies God while the nature of presumptuous faith seeks to glorify man. There is a perseverance in those in whom faith resides. Faith is undaunted in its quest to honor God.

If God only asked us to do that which we by nature could do, the wonder of faith would never be realized, and the world would remain lost in sin and darkness.

There is within the New Covenant a law that is the basis of our own ministration of the living God…

“Then touched He their eyes, saying,
According to your faith be it unto you…”
Matthew 9:29

Oh may He touch our eyes afresh, may we begin in the child-like wonder of faith to see His possibilities through our weakness! May we no longer linger in the estimation of ourselves; that we may touch the wonder of the faith which glorifies and honors Him.

Links to the other writings in this series:

Elements of Faith – The Mystery

Elements of Faith – The Wonder

Elements of Faith – The Fire of God

Elements of Faith – The Brands of Christ

Brian Troxel