FAITH That Enables

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20050, 23 September 1939, Page 13

FAITH That Enables

\JOTHING :s more certain tiia< somewhere deep in the soul of man there is a consciousness of God and spiritual realities. An appeal is shortly being made by leaders of all sections of the Christian church to unite jn earnest prayer that the forces of cruelty and oppression may be overcome and that righteousness, justice and truth may gloriously triumph. There is no reason to doubt that there will be a great response to this appeal in believing prayer. Something more than a bowing of the knee, however, will be necessary before we can be entrusted with victory; that is, a ision of God, a .spiritual assurance and appropriation of Divine ,ir winds the spirit of fear and ping men and nations to-day.

grace which will banish to the ion bewildered helplessness that is grip]

We read in 2 Kings, chapter C, of a young man who saw a mighty army, with prancing steeds, glittering swords, and soldiers resplendent in armour. He saw nothing more and was filled with fear as he thought of his Master's danger, but his Master knew that he was perfectly safe in the protecting power of God and prayed that the young man also might be given this vision of the heavenly host.

Many to-day are paralysed by fear because of brain blindness, heart blindness, soul blindness which sees nothing, beyond the material, nothing of the spiritual presence and power by which we are surrounded. A Man of Faith

In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews we are given in a few verses a brief word picture of Moses, a man of faith. We have these significant words: “He endured as seeing Him who is invisible.” Moses, the great law-giver of Israel, surrendered his high position in the court of the king and chose to identify himself with his suffering and oppressed brethren, esteeming the reproach of Israel greater riches than the treasure of Egypt. This, we are told, was made possible by the vision he had of God.

Moses saw these people—poor, despised, smitten and apparently hopeless. An ordinary man would have said ‘'Nothing can be done for them,” hut Moses looked beyond the visible and saw Israel emancipated. He saw the light of Canaan, the vision stiffened his courage, he set his face toward the desert and tribulation with God as his guide. When those disciples encouraged oy Jesus with the words “Arise and be not afraid” went down with Jesus to the valley below they found their companions who had not experienced .he vision struggling with a. lunatic ooy and unable to help him. Jesus at once showed that the reason for heir helplessness was a lack of faith. God could do what seemed to be impossible and they in company with God could go forth and bring healing and blessing to others if they truly followed Him. We are all called to take our part in the coming of the Kingdom of God, but we can only do so as we have this vision of the Divine through Christ. Saviour of Men Someone spoke recently of Jesus as the incomparably greatest amongst men and was told that it was not right to thus speak of the Saviour of men. He became one of us, bearing our sicknesses, carrying our sorrows, but He was above all the Son of God and through His unique Sonship His Divine sympathy, His stooping to serve and then save by His sacrificial death He opened the Kingdom to all believers.

Life would never have been quite the same to Peter, James and John after that unforgettable experience. There was a joy, sweetness, and confidence, a savouring influence that re mained and enabled them to strengthen their brethren. Let us see Christ in His beauty; yield to Him the control of heart and life and we shall share this joy of service which will usher in the Kingdom of God at .ast amongst men.

A minister of a North of England congregation used to spend his annual holiday across the border, and after his return a member of his congregation was heard to say: “Our Minister always brings back with him the scent of the heather.” In the same way they used to say of his disciples, “They had been with Jesus and learned of Him.” This personal experience of Christ, this vision of Goc

Contributed by the Ministers’ Association

To See The Invisible

will enable others to see Him who is invisible.

We must thank God that, despite the superabundance of spiritual blindness, there have always been those who have seen the invisible and these men have been the world’s heroes and conquerors, breaking the rod of the oppressor and opening out to their fellows the treasures of God. Spiritual Vision Spiritual vision alone will remove the mist from the eye and see things is they reaily are. We shall only be able to rightly measure and estimate lesser things as we discern through them the greater things of eternity. We are often told that such men are visionaries as if they were blind to the facts of life. Oh, no! Such men see quite clearly the sad, sinful, distressing facts of life, but. also beyond them, to a glorious conquest of he evil, before them the great Chrisian ideal —the light of peace and brotherhood.

The greatest fact of life and history is that Godless policies have been shortlived and that the things of God, faith, truth and love alone endure. Without such a sense of God life is a maze of difficulty, sorrow, drudgery nd disappointment. All round are hose who have become the victims of worry, fret and fear, overburdened by the pressure of the material, yet it : s so unnecessary. Open our eyes to eternal, long view and optimism gives place to hopelessness. A person with this awareness has knowedge more real and assured than any brought through the world of sense. Transfiguration Scene

T " ‘he ‘7th chapter of Ma’thew the •'postle John tells of the- transfigura-

“on scene. These ardent disciples were taken by Jesus to the Mount and He was transfigured before them, ‘"’’ey saw Him with radiant face, wi‘h varments white as the light. They ->s John s" fs. Glory, as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Pe’er speaking o'f this experience, says: “We have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you ‘he power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but '"ore eye-witnesses of His Majesty for He received from the Father honour

and glory when there came such a voice, ‘This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.’ This voice we heard when we were with Him in the Holy Mount.” Through that real and wonderful experience those disciples were strengthened and encouraged as they had af‘erwards to bear trial anci cross-bearing. They would always remember that the face they saw bleeding on the Cross was the radiant face of the Son of God risen, triumphant and ever present to bless and comfort His people. This vision may be ours, this voice we may hear amid the noise of war, the ambitious policies and threats of who believe themselves to be supermen.