Living by Faith Part 3

 John Godfrey Saxes poem

It was six men of Indostan, to learning much inclined,
who went to see the elephant (Though all of them were blind),

The first approached the elephant, and, happening to fall,
against his broad and sturdy side, said, “he’s nothing but a wall!"

The second feeling of the tusk, cried: "Ho! what have we here,
this wonder of an elephant, is shaped much like a spear!"

The third approached the animal, and, happening to take,
the squirming trunk within his hands, he’s must be like a snake!"

The fourth reached out his eager hand, and felt about the knee:
"Tis clear enough the elephant is very like a tree."

The fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said; "E'en the blindest man
can tell what this resembles most, a large and leather fan!"

The sixth no sooner had begun, about the beast to grope,
than, seizing on the swinging tail, said "the elephant’s like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan, his own opinion, stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right, all were in the wrong!

This is a poem about perspective. Specifically, trying to use limited perspective to gain insight into a bigger picture.

What these blind men could not see – the whole elephant – gave them only partial understanding for what an elephant looked like. Something any child with sight could have told them. But because they limited their understanding to only a fraction of the whole, their perspective was insufficient, and the answer they came up with was far from accurate.

That could happen if you went into my garage and see my Zebco 33 rod and reel. You may, from that, assume I’m a fisherman. Ask the real fishermen. I’m not.

You might notice a golf bag with clubs, shoes and balls. You might assume I’m a golfer. Ask the real golfers. I’m not.

But then, you might see my table saw, compound-miter saw, drills, hammers, glue and clamps. From that you say, “He must be a woodworker.” And you’d be right. You’d make a more accurate assessment because you have more information.

We’ve all done that? Built a whole scenario from one small incident, a word or a moment. Texting makes that possible every day.

Text Messages

With the elephant, how did perspective affect their assessment? Each man touched only a small part of the elephant, a piece of the whole, but then tried to say from what they touched, “I know what an elephant is like.” They were right in a small detail but wrong in the big picture.

Can we limit our understanding about God by narrowing our perspective to one or two quick glimpses?

Mark 6:41 And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. 44 There were five thousand men who ate the loaves. 

Mark 6:51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, 52 for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened. 

Seeing Jesus feed 5000 didn’t translate over to Him being able to save their lives in the boat. “We knew He did that. We didn’t know He could do this.” Their hearts were hardened – fixed. Because their minds were already made up, there wasn’t room for more.

Matt 14:29 And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" 

When did this happen? At the same time. It was part of the other story. Even though Jesus said, “Come,” Peter doubted.

What was there to doubt? The power of God to take care of His children in all situations.

There was no verse that promised if you’re in a boat on rough seas and Jesus comes walking toward you and you ask Him if you can go out to Him and He says come, that you, too, can walk on water. But Peter did walk on water because the One who makes the promises was right in front of him. He did until he stopped trusting and started to doubt.

Amazing how we trust God for getting us to Heaven and keeping us for all eternity yet, can’t seem to trust Him to get us through today. That’s because the power of doubt can overwhelm our faith.

James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Why would we need wisdom? To fight doubt. Wisdom is insight. We need it to broaden our understanding God is unlimited in His ability to care for us. Without that insight we’re going to operate with limited perspective. Then, more often than not, we’ll doubt rather than believe. Wisdom is necessary for absolute trust.

God said: I will never leave you nor forsake you, yet we still think we’re all alone.

God said: no plan of Mine can be thwarted, yet we think He’s not strong enough to help.

God said: I have plans for you, yet we think He’s incapable of accomplishing those plans.

Rom 8:35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

We step back and say that’s good to know, without ever gaining insight into what that really means. Paul left nothing out that might separate us from God’s love. And yet we still doubt whether He loves us and how much.

As in the poem, we have a tendency to claim complete understanding and yet don’t have the insight to know there is vastly more to understand than we already know.

So, how does limited insight limit faith? It creates a partial picture of God. He’s good but not all good. He’s powerful but not all-powerful. He’s wise but not all-wise. He loves us but not unconditionally. Without insight, how can we trust Him?

Prov 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.

I will never be able to trust the Lord with all my heart if I believe He is in any way incapable of directing my paths.

In 1986 a movie came out with a title caused me great concern. It was a story that centered around a school for the deaf. It was titled: Children of a Lesser God. Though the issue of God being lesser for some than others wasn’t the subject, the title disturbed me. Somehow, we think if everything isn’t perfect, we aren’t healthy, we have financial problems or family concerns, God isn’t there and doesn’t care. Having disabilities or struggles or frustrations isn’t because God is less interested in us over someone else. It’s called living in a fallen world.

Instead of fixing the world, God works within it to make all things work together for good for His children. Looking at a problem and blaming God for being less than we think He ought to be, is describing an elephant by a fraction of the whole.

We’ve created an image of God that isn’t who He really is. And, most of those images are of a lesser god than the God of the Bible. Do you know how much Scripture you have to deny to believe in the kind of God most people believe in?

Gaining the ability to trust the Lord with all our heart comes from a compilation of moments of trusting Him with smaller matters. Step by step we learn and trust, trust and learn. Each step of faith building our conviction God can be trusted. Watch this in Abraham’s life.

Rom 4:20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, Abraham did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. 

Grew strong: didn’t start strong but grew strong as the result of compiled trust.

Abraham’s tests: Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 

Getting where God wanted him to be. His obedience didn’t require a roadmap. He simply went. God was checking to see if his obedience would be spontaneous.

Heb 11:11 By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants AS THE STARS OF HEAVEN IN NUMBER, AND INNUMERABLE AS THE SAND WHICH IS BY THE SEASHORE. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. 

Would he believe all God told him to believe? God not only gave the promise but gave insight into His plan and expected Abraham to move toward it.

God isn’t impressed with my head knowledge; there’s no test to get into Heaven. But He is watching how I live because of the insight He’s given. - Beth Guckenberger.

We call it vision. Seeing in advance what is to become a reality.

A young preacher went to a small church and God was showing him a great vision for this church. He worked very hard to do his part, setting the example and encouraging others to see God’s vision and the potential for the church. In big letters he posted on the wall behind the pulpit, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” But no one would catch the vision. No one wanted to see it. None wanted to move toward it. They were content with the way things were. God called him to another church. And on his last Sunday there, after his last message delivered, as he was walking down the aisle to leave for the last time at the close of the service, the ‘W’ fell from the word Where.  It now read, “ here there is no vision, the people perish.”

Abraham saw the vision and went toward it. And then faced his third test: Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, "IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED." 19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. 

It was a test of obedience. “Abraham, you need to have absolute confidence in Me. I’ve shown you the vision. I’ve given you the promise. Will you trust Me to fulfill My promise even though it looks like I’m taking it away?”

You know the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac. Bringing the knife down and God stopped him at the last instant. Why would Abraham attempt to take the life of his son since he knew the promise was through Isaac?

He was convinced: Nothing is impossible with God.  If you don’t have room in your beliefs for that, you will always default back to a limited perspective of God.

Sailors in the northern oceans have frequently observed icebergs traveling in one direction in spite of strong winds blowing in the opposite direction. The icebergs were moving against the winds. The icebergs, with eight-ninths of their bulk under the water surface, are driven by the stronger currents within the oceans that directed their paths, regardless of which way the winds blew.

In the Christian life, no matter how strongly the winds of passing opinion blow in opposition, the believer who has a habit of trusting God develops a deeper walk with Him. He/She lives by the power of the currents of God’s grace and finds their lives moving in the direction of God’s goodness.

Where does that depth come from? Knowing we belong to a God who: Eph 3:20 is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.  Then, understanding that, we seek insight to apply that truth to our lives.

TAKEAWAYS:

1. It is unfair to judge someone before we get to know them.
2. And yet, we judge God by limited understanding of who He is and what He can do.
3. When we don’t know God, He becomes like a stranger to us or if we know a little, He becomes an acquaintance.
4. We don’t typically trust strangers or acquaintances.
5. Trusts requires knowledge, understanding and insight.
6. If we are struggling to trust God absolutely, we need better perspective of who He really is by getting to know Him better.