faith...

i'm at the beach.. aaah. if you'll remember, i'm obsessed with waves and sunshine.. so it's safe to say that i'm as close to content as any person can be. this week has been SO wonderful so far.. because i've had plenty of time to slow down.. and think.. and spend time with God.. and just be with Him.. 

one of the things i love about God's heart for teaching his children is that he seems to always teach things in themes.. much like a teacher in school.. like we move from one chapter of learning his heart to the next.. and the theme right now is faith. I'll read something about it one day in one of my books.. and then later come across a verse about it that hasn't stood out to me before.. and then somebody else will bring up the topic of faith in a conversation so i'll have to recall what the Lord has been showing me.. and then when i tell my sister what i've been learning.. she says God's been showing her the exact same things.. so cool. So God. 

A couple of weeks ago we were praying for worship before a real life service, as we always do, and one of the guitarists on our team prayed something that has stuck with me.. and will probably always stick with me.. he was praying for the team and for each of our personal relationships with God.. on stage and off.. and he prayed that above anything else that we would desire intimacy with God.. more than protection, more than provision, more than anything the Lord can do.. that we would seek intimacy with him.. and i have latched onto that prayer.. it is so cool too, because i am seeing the fruit.. and feeling God change things within my heart... 

and as a result, my faith in Him is growing.. because being intimate with someone just means to know that person inside and out.. intimacy with God means being familiar with him.. being comfortable around him.. hearing his voice.. knowing his heart.. experiencing who He is in ways that engrave his personality onto the back of my hand... his ways are easy to recall.. easy to remember and trust.... and i feel like i should add that it hasn't even been difficult for me to experience Him in this way.. in the past i've set out to spend more time with God.. but i've done it in my own power.. through my own methods.. and i came up lacking.. this time i haven't had to strive..  i just invite the Lord along with me in my day.. and we discuss the things that make me laugh.. the things that make me nervous... my dreams.. my favorite songs... and it's amazing because this time i know his heart is to listen and respond.. he is not distant... he is closer than a brother..

so lately i've been learning that faith has nothing to do with sight.. and it doesn't have anything to do with feelings... even if everything we see stacks in our opposition.. and we can't feel the presence of God moving in our dreams... if we know God and know his heart... and know from experiencing his personality that he is the same yesterday, today and forever.. our belief in His faithfulness can not be moved... and that's what faith is:: our ability to believe in God's faithfulness.. and our ability to believe God comes from being familiar with his ways.. knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that 'faithful' is WHO he is. Faith is the response to knowing God. and having intimacy with Him.. 

In the past i have been very guilty of measuring God's faithfulness against the works i've seen him do.. and against the standards of this world.. but coming to know God's heart more and more has shown me that.. on this side of eternity.. we can't base our faith on what we see God doing.. but instead we must devote ourselves to memorizing His details.. and anchor our faith to who He is...  nothing inside of time is a guarantee.. so our expectations will likely not always line up with God's higher ways (Isa. 55:8-9).. So we must fix our eyes on Jesus as the only guarantee.. know him.. love him.. and believe him.. all the while viewing time through the lens of eternity... 

... eternity with him :)