Unconditional Faith

We constantly hear about God's unconditional love but how often do we think about unconditional faith. I can certainly say that I don't always have unconditional faith. A faith that is never failing and always trusting, regardless of what is going on you always have faith that God is in control, regardless of what God tells you to do you do it because you have faith that God will see you through. I guess it could also be considered blind faith, knowing that as long as you listen God will always lead you in the right direction. I have a lot of respect and admiration for people who have unconditional faith, Joshua was one of those people.

This week in Church we were talking about the destruction of Jericho, Joshua 6. I must say that Joshua had pretty unconditional faith in this story. If God told me to walk around a city for 7 days, 13 times, and He would give it to me I would probably be like really God, seriously? But not once did you see Joshua question God and say, "are you sure about this, you really want me to walk around a city 13 times and then somehow it will be conquered?" Instead Joshua told it to the people how it was, he didnt tell them with a wavering voice but with a strong voice as if he had full confidence that God was going to give him Jericho, why because God said "I have given Jericho into your hand". That was enough for Joshua to know that God was in control. Especially coming from some big military victories it is suprising to me that Joshua never once asked God why he couldn't just take the city by using his army.

I feel like that now days we have been let down by nearly everyone in our life in some way or another that it is hard to have unconditional faith in the people on earth and sometimes I think it may be hard for us to have unconditional faith in God. This is something I constantly struggle with, a large part is probably because I am so impatient, is that when God doesnt give us what we think we need in a timely manner we may feel that God has let us down, when in reality it may be God's way for setting us up for something better.

There is this type of bamboo, Im not quite sure on the name, that when you plant it, it kind of goes underground for 5 years. 5 years! But once it starts growing it grows at an astonishingly fast rate, somewhere around 2 and a half feet a day! Now for me personally, I probably would've given up on it after about 6 months (and that is pushing it, I come from the land of instant gratification). My biggest downfall is most likely my impatience, if I dont see results quickly I generally give up on whatever Im doing, not the best way to live you life. But what I would have given up on (the plant) had the potential to grow into something big and beautiful. Sometimes I think we give up on faith because we dont get immediate results, but just imagine what God could do if you just waited, patiently.

The other interesting aspect of the story of Jericho, that also have to do with patience, is that God told them to walk around the city 13 times. Something Pastor Mark brought up this week was that sometimes we give up on circling whatever we are asking God for because we get impatient, and sometimes we dont even know what we should be circling in the first place, what we should really be praying for. Again, I think it is important to 1. realize what we are asking God for and 2. be willing to wait patiently for it. When God decides you dont need whatever you are asking for, remember that he will always have something better for you down the road. It may be years and years down the road but we need to have an unconditional faith and know that God is in control.

Sometimes it is all easier said then done, but that is my goal: to have an unconditional faith.

Have a great week!