Crazy Faith
By Susan Klein
“And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell
about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut
the mouths of lions, quenched
the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign
armies.” Hebrews 11:32-34 (NIV)
Imagine a famous
speaker/physician is coming to your town. He is meeting with some dignitaries
and influential leaders in one of their homes. You’ve heard amazing things about
this man! You believe in your heart that he can cure your brother who is
terminally ill, but you’ve not been invited to the event. After discussing the
matter, you and a few friends decide to go to the home where he is speaking,
determined to somehow get your brother in to see him.
As you arrive, you
see others have had the same thought. People are lined up out the door and down
the street in hopes of seeing this great man. No one is getting near the house
and some are hopelessly turning around to leave. Refusing to be discouraged,
you formulate a plan. It is a crazy plan - - involving property damage and
trespassing. It could get you imprisoned, but your faith in this man is so
strong you are willing to risk everything. Sound familiar?
In Mark chapter 2, we
read of some men who did just this. Cutting a hole in the roof of a home, they
lowered their paralyzed friend through the opening to be healed by Jesus. That,
my friends, is crazy faith! That is belief without excuse - - trust without
question. That is the type of faith that we see God honor throughout Scripture.
Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego didn’t play it safe when they refused to bow down to the king!
Even when threatened with a fiery furnace, they exercised crazy faith, confidently
proclaiming their God would rescue them. The woman with the bleeding disorder
demonstrated crazy faith by believing that she’d be healed just by touching the
hem of Jesus’ robe. And let’s not forget Abraham! He was willing to kill his
own son… But only because he had crazy faith that God would provide a different
sacrifice instead.
What would it look
like for you to exercise crazy faith? How much risk might you take in order to
demonstrate your faith in the One who can do the impossible? Do you believe God
can act in your situation, or do you
believe He will?
GOING DEEPER:
1. Become familiar with the faith
heroes in God’s Word.
2. Get
risky in your faith!
FURTHER
READING:
Susan
is married to Mark, and co-leads an in-home small group. She serves as a mentor
to young women, and is a member of Oakwood’s Peace Team, helping people work
through conflict.
