DECEMBER 3
Luke Friesen
I have a lot of faith. Well…a lot of faith in some things. I have faith that my car is going to get me from point A to point B. I have faith that the roof will not collapse while I am sleeping. I have faith that my wife will love me even when I do not deserve it. But when it comes to faith in God, I seem to be somewhat lacking. When life gets stormy and unpredictable, I stress, worry, and act like God is not sovereign. I try to prove that I can do things in my own strength if I am just given enough time. Either I attempt to sort out my problems by myself, or I just ignore them and hope they go away. I can be stubborn that way, refusing to believe that my heavenly Father might actually be able to help.
Then I read about Enoch: “He walked faithfully with God; then he was no more because God took him away” (Genesis 5:24). This is the single description that Moses chose to write as a testimony to this man’s life. Is that not incredible? What defined Enoch the most was that he had faith in God. Something that I struggle with daily was the summary of his entire life. In Hebrews, we read a little more about Enoch, where he is again commended for his faithfulness (Heb 11:5).
The author adds: “And without faith it is impossible to please God” (11:6). My heart sinks a little when I read that because I know that if it was just up to my faith, my own sheer will, I could never please God. I am too worried, too scared, too anxious about life to show the kind of faith that pleases God. Most of the time I am like Peter who, when he is walking on water to meet Jesus, takes his eyes off of Him and focuses on the storm instead (Matthew 14). I set my eyes on the storm more than the One with the power to still the waters.
Lucky for me, my salvation is not based on my faith alone. It’s not about how faithfully I can live on this earth. Jesus lived a life of total obedience—even better than Enoch. Therefore, my life is already safe in the Father’s hands because Jesus pleased God with His faith! This Christmas season, we may feel that we can’t muster enough faith to be like Enoch, but Jesus lived, died, and rose again so we don’t have to. Today, look to Jesus for the faith that defines you.