Napkin Fall of Faith

“He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

This morning I arose with such a sense of restfulness which rarely happens at my age. I was in such a joyful state looking forward to praising God with my worship music. The first hour was great as I sang and sipped my coffee moving my glider in the dark. After saying my prayers, I went into my den and continued reading Max Lucado’s book, Begin Again. Very quickly I turned into mush at a story he shared about a man on a plane who slipped him a napkin with a message scribbled in ink. The man wrote of a tragic lake accident involving his daughter which immediately led to him and his wife having to make the decision of removing her from life support. Scribbled on this napkin was the mantra of his life: Faith is a choice, come what may.

“Although the decision was painful, we were confident that we were doing the right thing in laying her in the arms of a mighty God. He knew our pain. His best work may not have been restoring Erin to this life but his assistance for Lynne and me to let him have her. He made our daughter better than new. He restored my Erin to his eternal presence. That is his best work! Our faith is getting us through this. Faith is a choice" p. 92.

I began realizing that God’s best work in the lives of our loved ones is sometimes our worst nightmare. God’s promises are faithful indeed but He cannot break His promises to anyone. For God to be faithful to a promise He made to one person might put us on a collision course with suffering. But God also promises to be faithful to all of us through His word...Beautiful promises if we choose faith. He promises that we will never walk alone through any situation. He promises that joy will come in the morning of a new season after many nights of weeping if we will choose faith. He promises that because we are not citizens of this world that we will all become citizens in eternity. You cannot read one page of the Bible without seeing promise after promise that God not only made, but kept. Our faith is our sight to be able to see the faithful manner in which God keeps every promise.

“I want that kind of faith. The faith that turns to God in the darkest hours...and trusts in His promises. The kind of faith that presses an ink pen into an airline napkin and declares, ‘Faith is a choice. And I choose faith’” p. 92.