A Paradox Of Faith

Have you come to a place where you find yourself wrestling with God and His calling upon your life? Has He touched and blessed you as He did with Jacob, by putting your life out of joint? (Gen 32:24-32) Do you find yourself not only limping but also leaning hard upon Him?

Every time God sharpens the vision of His call in my life, the more I am drawn to move further away from my independence. As I have uprooted my family and left the security of my homeland, I find myself constantly between places. And the Lord has kept me on the move as I trek through a terrain that is dotted with doubt and uncertainty. The challenges that I face today are sometimes strange or seemingly impossible. What does God have in store for my future? How will I fend for my family? And yes, are we there yet? God has allowed me to go ‘thus far and no further’ in my understanding of His will for my life at this junction. I am torn at a crossroad decision of going back to what I think is safe and sound over and against moving ahead toward God’s best interest for me and my tribe. Do I see my circumstances through the eyes of the flesh saving my own skin and kin or should I look at it through the eyes of faith and trust the way that God would have me go?

I am reminded of a passage in the Bible that focuses on the divine call upon Abraham’s life: “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going” (Heb 11:8). The first half of this verse sounds spiritually logical to the degree that a human being hears a divine call upon his life and by an act of faith, responds to this divine call. In obedience coupled with the knowledge that he would receive a promised inheritance in the future, Abraham took action. In fact, the words, ‘when called’ in the Greek indicates a very prompt or quick-to-please obedience. God called and Abraham answered by acting upon that call ‘by faith.’ I can see how Abraham wasted no time wanting to please God by taking his barren wife, packing their belongings, and getting the show on the road regardless of the unknown obstacles that they may encounter along the way. The latter half of this verse is another one of those paradoxes in the Christian experience. Mind you, a paradox is a clear contradiction. Abraham answers the call with no clue where all this will lead—he did not know where he was going.

Do you sense a similar calling? You’re in good company. Abraham’s response ushers him toward an undiscovered country that he has never seen nor heard of before. The paradoxical path he chose could only be grounded in faith! God tells this ancient pilgrim, “Abe, you’ve got to follow me and go figure—by faith, that is, and not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7). As fellow sojourners, we live out the reality of our lives in a constant ‘paradox of faith.’ The world tried to convince those who have gone before us that ‘to see is to believe,’ but dependence upon God means ‘to believe before we see.’ And it is impossible to experience God’s call upon your life apart from faith.

Copyright 2009, Gicky Soriano. All rights reserved.