6-7-2014

 Good Morning All,

         Luke 17:5; “The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

     I like to watch football on TV. I prefer college to professional.  Even way back when I was in high school and college, I preferred college to professional.  So early in our marriage, just as VCRs came onto the market, I tried to record the college game and then watch it later.  This way I could get some work done on Saturday and then either Saturday night or Sunday afternoon, I would watch the game.  It sounded like a good plan.

    The trouble was trying to not hear the final score of the game.  It is amazing how, when you don’t want to hear something, it was on the radio or on the TV all the time.  If I had wanted to know the score, it would have probably never been on but it was and often.  So, more often than not, I knew the final score of the game before I began to watch it.  At first, that may sound somewhat boring.  If you know who wins, why watch?

     What became interesting were the games that the team that won was way behind at one point.  It was something to watch them mount their comeback.  There were more than a few games that I would think; “I know that this team will win but I sure don’t see how.”  There were times, I really questioned whether the news reporter had told me the right score.  At times it looked like they were wrong but in the end; they were always right.

     We, as Christians, are sort of in the same boat.  We know how our life and the world will end.  It ends with a beginning, a new beginning with the resurrection and the life everlasting.  We will live eternally, with god, just like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  We will live victoriously forever.  We know how it ends but there are times, if we look around, we wonder how it could possibly happen.  We are banged around and buffeted by the world.  We look around and our faith is under attack and we wonder how it can possibly all work out.  When we have times like that, we need to turn to God and ask, “Increase our faith!”

    We know who the victor is; we need to have stronger faith that this is the way it will go.  Having stronger faith will allow us to weather the storms of life with far more confidence.  It makes it easier to see the end of the game.  We can live confident that any setback now, no matter how huge it looks now, is only a minor twist in the journey of our life.  God has promised us victory and we can cling to that promise with all the certainty that there is.  To see the victory assured before the game is even played is what faith is about.  We know we will win because God has promised it.  We can see the victory and we can see it clearer with a stronger faith; so we pray, Lord, increase our faith!

Father of mercy, increase our faith!  Draw us closer to you so that we may cling tighter to you.  Give to us the clear eyes of faith to see the victory we have because of your grace.  Be with those who are struggling at this time.  Preserve them by your loving arms.  Give them the assurance that they too will share in the glorious inheritance with you in life everlasting.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret