FAITH

August 26th, 2011 | By admin

by Katt Anderson

When tragedy strikes most everyone turns to God. We ask God why did this happen to us? Why not? We are no different than the person sitting beside us. It could have happened to them, but God has a plan.

Tragedy should bring strength and faith in the Lord. It should bind us closer to Him, but so many times it doesn’t. We let our faith waver after the storms of life are past. That’s when we need to hold on to God the strongest, after we realize that God carried us through this. 

As teens, you may not have experienced this. Many of your age have lost parents and grandparents. Some in horrific ways. When the tornado passed through Joplin, Missouri this past spring, many lost family members. One family lost their parents. The two children survived. The son, Quinton Anderson, was on Fox News Saturday night and he is recovering. I’m sure there are a lot of scars still there by losing his parents. He had a lot of prayers from other Christians and his faith carried him through.

My friend, Sandi Rog, has gone through a terrible time with T-Cell Lymphoma and MS. In May she had a bone marrow transplant. It has been horrible for her. I’ve laughed and cried with her during this ordeal. He faith is so strong, and she is willing to take whatever comes her way. She knows God is in control. What a comforting thought to lay your head on your pillow and know God is with you even while you sleep.

In the Bible, Paul had so much faith. He was sent to a horrible prison and lived there until he died. He was denied so much and lived with so much discomfort, that I feel guilty when I complain about a little thing. What makes a person’s faith so strong?

The best definition of faith is Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We can’t see faith, but we know it is there.

Faith is the work of God, John 6:29, “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.’” We have to believe in the faith that God send his Son for us, to learn and trust.

Faith is God’s gift, Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” God sent his son that through his death, we could receive the gift of grace in the forgiveness of our sins. Grace and faith are not dumped on us, but by studying and obeying God’s Word.

Faith comes from the heart, Romans 10:9,10, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believeth to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.” We can’t idly say that we believe. We have to really mean it. We have to truly believe.

Through faith, we also pray for others and ourselves. We know God will answer our prayers, if it is His Will. We as humans have to be ready to accept the answer He gives us.

So far, God has answered my selfish prayers for my friend Sandi. My faith has become deeper through this. She has had problems, but she is enduring them. Her faith is so strong that it has rubbed off on her friends. My prayers never cease for her.