Can you remember back to a time in your life where you did something so illogical that friends and family thought you were a little “off?” Perhaps they even went to you in private and counseled you to rethink your actions? My biggest “illogical living” season occurred just a few years ago – 2016, to be exact. I was diagnosed with stage 4, metastatic kidney cancer – terminal. The cancer was everywhere. My doctor gave me 3 to 6 months to live. He advised me just to go home and enjoy my family – no chemo, no treatment – just go home and die.
Of course, that didn’t sit well with me! I informed my doctor, who was standing by my bedside that God didn’t want me to die of cancer and I didn’t want to die of cancer, so that was that. I recall we had a brief “illogical” and edgy conversation, but I was adamant. I was going to live and not die. I know that doctors are wonderful, but they only work with facts. God works with the truth.
I was challenged to walk the biggest faith walk of my life. And trust me, it was a daily endeavor, but I’ve made the decision from the get-go to live my life as if I would live to be around for at least another thirty years or so! It was a walk of faith in God’s word; I will admit it looked bleak at times, but often walking in faith seems illogical at best.
Faith is the ability to trust what we can’t see, and with that comes a freedom in the spiritual arena that few people dare to travel. I find it interesting that the African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of more than 30 feet, but they won’t jump if they can’t see where their feet will land. Walking in faith is precisely the same. If we could see where we were going, it wouldn’t require faith.
How illogical was it for Noah to build that ark in the desert? And how illogical was it for young David to attack giant Goliath? And how about that Peter getting out of the boat in the middle of a sea in the middle of the night in the middle of a huge storm? Crazy stuff, right? But then the results speak for themselves, don’t they?! And because so many people aren’t willing to seem illogical, they never build an ark, or kill a giant, or walk on water.
Faith is really acting as if God has already answered our prayers. I have a sign on my desk which reads, “Proceed as if success is inevitable!” – it’s the ultimate act of faith. When I fought cancer, I planned for my future – and trust me, it went against all logic! I bought some new clothes (not the hardest thing for a gal, I know) – I went to the dentist for a new tooth implant, and we purchased some new patio furniture. These may seem like small things, but when you are sick as a dog, bald, and look like “death warmed over” – these things are huge!!
I remember a thought-provoking conversation between a pastor and a gal he had once prayed for: “So, when are you going to have faith that you’re healed?” Lady: “After all my symptoms are gone!” Pastor: “Why are you going to have faith then? After that you’ll know!!” That’s actually pretty profound. Faith can be a tough walk, but it’s a walk of opportunity that can be incredible, and it gives occasion to look back in wonder and awe and give Almighty God glory in a whole new way of knowing and understanding.
Johann Sebastian Bach wrote 256 cantatas, and the interesting thing about these cantatas is that prior being songs, they all started out as prayers. And before Bach started arranging the music, he would scrawl, JJ at the very top — an abbreviation for “Jesu, Juva.” It was a very simple prayer – “Jesus, help me.” Then, at the end of his music, Bach inscribed SDG down at the bottom. It was there where Bach prayed that each piece of music would proclaim, “To the glory of God alone.”
Imagine for a minute what our world would look like if we all followed suit! What kind of cultural impact would that make on our society? That no matter what we are going through, how grueling or remarkable our life is, we do all to the glory of God! To have SDG jotted down on my medical records, to have SDG scribbled on the side of a students social studies test; to have my Jeep mechanic engrave SDG on the side of my radiator, or to text SDG to my friends at the end of a send, because ultimately, this is all about Who we live for!
Here’s how Israelmore Ayivor frames it: “In all things, may the victory come to us while the glory goes to God.” I can live with that. SDG!
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Bob and Susan Becket pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street, in Hemet, CA. For more information, you can visit them at DPCityChurch.org
Dwelling Place City Church | Contributed
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