My title for this devotion is Reliable vs Unreliable.

Each day we practice faith without even taking note of it. Each morning I get up to shower. I turn the faucet on believing water will come out.  Every morning I sit at my kitchen table to have my Quiet Time. I don’t investigate my chair before I sit down. I don’t get down on my hands and knees and run my chair through a checklist to see if it is “sitworthy” or not. I put the key in the ignition of my truck without saying, “Okay truck! Will you or won’t you start?” I have faith that my shower will flow with water; the chair will hold me up; my truck will start. I depend on those objects to be reliable, especially because they have given me no reason not to.

However, the story would be different if my shower had a history of being cranky; the chair was getting kind of wobbly; and there had been a time or two recently when the turn of the key brought only a click. The unreliability of an object determines my faith.

The late Bible teacher Stuart Briscoe once said, “Faith is only as valid as its object.” My faith is in One who has proven himself faithful and trustworthy.  I’ve been reading 1 Chronicles this week in my QT. I thought Leviticus and Numbers was bad! They have met their match. 🙂  The first 8 chapters (where I am right now) will rival any section of Leviticus and Numbers for the snoozefest of the year award. Oh man, has it been tough. But I have tried to keep my attention by looking for names I remember. I’ve run across Jabez; the kingly line of David and Solomon; an almost verbatim account of a section in Matthew 1 (Jesus’ lineage). I have run across Judah and Tamar’s son, Perez, but there is no mention of Zerah. There was a clan of linen workers and potters, the latter who were in the king’s service. I read how even some of the mighty warriors gave in to the culture’s influence and broke faith with God. There were more people to see.

Long story short (sorry): no matter how “boring” this section has been, I have seen God’s Word come true. He said it, it happened. “These are the consequences.” “This is my promise. It will be.” My faith is in God’s trustworthiness. As it has been said, “Have faith in God, not faith in faith.”

“Father, you have proven yourself over and over to be trustworthy. In all things. At all times. May my trust be in who You are and have proven to be, rather than in the idea of faith. I have no reason to doubt you.”