Fact, Faith, and Experience were walking along the top of a wall. Fact walked steadily on, turning neither to right nor left and never looking behind. Faith followed, and all went well so long as he kept his eyes focused upon Fact; but as soon as he became concerned about Experience and turned to see how he was getting on, he lost his balance and tumbled off the wall, and poor old Experience fell down after him.
All temptation is primarily to look within; to take our eyes off the Lord and to take account of appearanaces. Faith is always meeting a mountain, a mountain of evidence that seems to contradict God’s Word, a mountain of apparent contradiction in the realm of tangible fact-of failures in deed, as well as in the realm of feeling and suggestion-and either faith or the mountain has to go. They cannot both stand. But the trouble is that many a time the mountain stays and faith goes. That must not be. If we resort to our senses to discover truth, we shall find Satan’s lies are often enough true to our experience; but if we refuse to accept as binding anything that contradicts God’s Word and maintain an attitude of faith in Him alone, we shall find instead that Satan’s lies begin to dissolve and that our experince is coming progressively to tally with that Word. (Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life, 1961, p. 59-60)
I read this a few months back when I had started my Stepping Heavenward Bible Study, and when I read it I liked it, but I didn’t gleam too much from it. This time, however, I was asked to re-read it, and well….it hit me. It hit me pretty hard.
How many times, have I had a Fact all neatly wrapped up in my head and then had an Experience then lost my Faith? Well, that’s a simple answer. Many, many times.
John Piper, made a statement in the sermon, “Subjected to Hope”, that when we have an Experience that is so life shaking and rocks our world, if we don’t have faith and trust in the sovereignty of God then we will lose all faith. That we’ll shake our fists and walk away from Him. I believe that. I believe that to the core of my being.
We life throws us curve balls and when all hell breaks lose, we must have faith. Faith that Jesus can move the mountain. Faith that Jesus is in control. Faith that we believe in a Sovereign God. Faith that Jesus is who He says that He is. Faith enough to know that nothing comes to us that has not first passed through His sovereign hand. Faith that He’s there. He’s in the midst of the storm with us. Walking with us. Holding us.