I WAS JUST WALKING FOR EXERCISE

Having faith in God, I was convinced that the intersection was safe. The traffic light and walking sign were in my favor, and traffic was stopped – at least so I thought! All of a sudden the metallic grey Ford Escape started moving towards me. I thought, "What is he doing, trying to intimidate me into getting out of his way?" (I had previously experienced this while walking!) Only as he drove right into me, did I realize he was determined to make a right hand turn on red as traffic, (all but me), cleared, but that He did not see me.

"This can't be happening to me! Am I going to make it? Will he ever see me?"

The car nudged right into me. I fell on to the hood of the car. The slap of my hands on the hood startled the driver. He realized what was happening, and was horror-struck, realizing that he could have killed me, or severely injured me! As I safely walked away, he profusely apologized. Then he drove on.

The sheer irony of it all came through when I sensed both anger and sorrow for him all at the same time. I had seen the sheer horror written all over his face. He had not intended to run over me! He apologized profusely, through his closed window!

I had to forgive him, you see, because just a few weeks earlier I had accidentally run a red light myself, forgetting that the light at our corner is usually flashing when I leave for work, but not during the day! I had it coming! I had accidentally disobeyed a known law, and he had done the same. Was I going to forgive? You bet! Otherwise I wouldn't be qualified to be forgiven for my incident. Thank God I am still alive!

Faith is much more than declaring trust in Jesus in order to go to heaven. Thank God for that wonderful news. But faith governs our everyday experience. By implication I can assume that the eternal world will be much more than hanging out with angels and playing a harp for thousands of years!

A gentile centurion once trusted Jesus, a Jew, so much that he told him he had to just speak a word, and his servant would be healed. Jesus marveled at that, saying to those around, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” (Luke 7:9) Since he, himself, was under authority, he saw that Jesus was no different in his relationship to God. (Luke 7:8)

Jesus used this as an example of faith as it related to healing. He gave a mere word, (at a distance), and the servant was healed. We may safely conclude that there is protection in faith. For example, the apostle Paul used the protection of a shield from fiery darts as an example of faith as it related to quenching the fiery and injurious darts of the enemy. (Ephesians 6:16)

Since ordinances of man are given by God for punishment of evildoers, and the praise of those that do well, (1 Peter 2:13-14), we can safely assume that we can have “faith” in that, as we patiently walk in obedience. (Hebrews 10:36)