5 December | Youth
«Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.» Hebrews 11:1
As a youth pastor, I am often approached by young people to help them with their concerns. They bring me their questions and doubts, ask for advice and guidance. Of all the questions presented to me, one of the most frequent is: “Pastor, my faith is running out. What do I do?”
I usually ask them how much faith they have left. Some put their thumb and index finger together to make it clear that they have very little left, almost nothing. Then I remind them that Jesus said that if we had faith the size of a mustard seed, we would be able to move mountains. Then I ask, “Do you know how big a mustard seed is?” Now it is my turn to put my fingers together and show how tiny this seed is. Our small, insignificant faith is all God needs to do a great work in our lives.
Remember that our first problem is having faith. Christ Himself questioned whether He would find faith when He returned to Earth. When I think about the potential of faith, I start to think that my faith is a little microscopic.
Where is the problem? Firstly, many think of faith as a purely emotional thing, as if it were just a feeling. Those who understand this pray, go to church, read the Bible, attend study groups, participate in church activities and hope that each of these actions will produce an increasingly stimulating experience. Some say: “I don’t feel anything!” Who said you should read the Bible to feel something? The form of religion never replaces its essence. It is not enough to practice religious rites to have faith.
In Hebrews 11:1, the great condition for having faith is the ability to see the invisible. In the gallery of heroes of faith, each person mentioned has a faith that waits and sees. Faith both waits and sees. And these men and women who walked by faith, and not by sight, devoted themselves to God with all their hearts. How is a relationship with an invisible Being possible? How can anyone hope for a reward that is beyond this present life?
Faith consists of believing in what we cannot see, following a voice that cannot be heard and living by true principles, even if they do not make sense in the world. There is a mystery in faith that cannot be explained by our senses. Still, I have decided to trust. And you?