About Faith

By John Henry

John Henry is a virtual pen pal of mine.  He visited my website and we kept chatting with each other via email.  The relationship has been very enlightening for me and I have been edified by John.  The following article, which originally was an email that he sent me, demonstrates how Christians can edify each other.  I promised John that I would post his email and he said it was fine.  So read this and be blessed.

Bill, I had a very interesting conversation about Y2K but more importantly about Faith last Sunday. I was drawn, as all computer guys are, into a conversation about "how bad will it be" with another believer. What was so interesting was the fact that his approach was completely, "God will provide" so why should he really prepare at all? He is relying upon the government for his information, while not even knowing what problems the government faces. He is relying upon a FEMA representative who said, "most problems will be localized and not widespread." I then referred him to a local paper article from December 1998 that referred to the small (municipal) utilities having not even started with preparations for testing. I shared that while in Washington, it may be a small localized problem, but if he is in Iowa in January and there is no power for several days, he stands to lose his entire house, frozen pipes and water damage, etc. His belief in the deliverance of God is noble but... how biblical is it?

I always reason this way, granted, God cares for sparrows, and small creatures, providing for all their needs. He does care even more for his children, created in his image, I suggest that he cares so much for us that he gave this marvelous brain, and physical dexterity to us as gifts and as tools to meet our needs. God does not want us to suffer, even a little bit, so he gave us the ability to remember and to plan and to save, to prepare us for the troubles and tribulations of the world. This whole Y2K thing may be blown completely out of proportion, but what is the harm in devising contingencies, in planning for bad times. In being prepared for being caught in a "localized problem" caused by the poor planning of a bunch of computer guys over the last 10 years.

I am not suggesting moving to the woods, stocking up on a 12-month supply of food and water, and buying enough ammunition to fight off the entire US Army. But I do feel that the will to prepare for known times of trial may be the means to thrive in the time of tribulation. No one should be running scared of the new Millennium. Every day on earth is one day closer to the second coming, but being able to say, so, nothing happened, I feel so foolish, anybody want to buy a boat? (Humorous reflection on what Noah would have said if it had been a clearing off shower instead of a 40 day gusher) while having the faith to prepare for the trials being sent by God,

So what is Faith? Is it a blinder that keeps the believer in a bind of waiting for God to provide for them with the sparrows, or is it the belief that with God's help, clues, and strength, I can prepare to meet whatever the world throws at me and like a good watch, keep in ticking. I love God, I believe God gave everyone in this world special gifts, and that he does not desire us to be daily dependent upon him, He fed Israel for 40 years, but he was preparing them for a special gift, where they would be able to plan and prepare for the bad years, the wars, the famine, the failures of men around them. This was the Gift of faith that God the Father, Son and Spirit bestow upon his precious children.

So I say preparing for a storm gives the believer a peace of mind that will allow him to be ready to share the Truth of God. We are called to be Salt and Light for a dark and bland world, God is the Heat and Meat, and He prepares us for the meal of an eternity within his Grace by allowing us to share his Majesty to this world. The bible is the substance of God in a form we can hold in our hands and begin to understand. We are like the bug zappers. We draw the people of the dark into the light and we are to be salt to give them a taste of the truth. Only God can create a believer. Only He has the power and the substance to sustain us in the dark of the world. The next year will provide us with opportunities to lead this nation and world into an age of enlightenment. However, we must be prepared to lead and we must be able to provide assistance to others in need when they are in need. This means we must be better prepared to face whatever is coming in the next year.