FAITH VS. COMMON SENSE
Denise Linton
Today's Scripture: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7, ESV
Theme: It’s tempting to base your faith on circumstances: what you see God doing or not doing in your life. Base your faith on God alone.
WALKING IN THE DARK
When I was a teenager, I had trouble following the rules at home, especially meeting curfew. I had learned how to walk through the house in the dark, missing all the furniture and slipping into bed without being noticed. The next morning my father would ask me what time I had returned home, and my response would be, “At 11:00 pm, my curfew time.” One night, I was several hours past curfew and started my walk through the dark house. A few feet into the living room, I ran into a piece of furniture and let out a small yelp, felt my way around it, and moved on, only to run into another piece of furniture. Again, I let out a sound of pain. It turns out, my father had rearranged the furniture before going to bed. The next morning, he asked me what time I had gotten home, and I had to admit I was several hours past curfew. I had been caught and I accepted my punishment.
My belief that I would not get caught disobeying my curfew rested in both the fact that the furniture would not move, and in my ability to blindly walk through the house in the dark. When we follow our own perspectives blindly, we are doomed. It wasn’t faith that the furniture would not move; it was more common sense that furniture doesn’t move on its own and an assumption that no one else would move it.
Common sense is earthly, whereas faith is in the spiritual realm. It is not based on what we know, but on what we don’t know or see. How often do we rely on common sense to explain our circumstances? In one scene of “Little Boy,” Pepper desperately wanted to show he could move the mountain. Many people watched and laughed, but when there was an earthquake at that exact moment, people needed an explanation. Some began to believe, but most wanted to explain it away. Common sense tells us that there is no way this little boy could move the mountain or cause the earth to shake.
FAITH, NOT CIRCUMSTANCES
In Mark 5:25-34, a woman with a blood issue approached Jesus from behind and touched His robe. When Jesus felt power leaving His body, He turned and looked at the woman. She told Him that she knew that if she just touched Him, she would be healed (Mark 5:28,33). Common sense would have been to believe the doctors who had told her she was incurable, with no hope of living, no way to be part of society. But the woman was not walking by sense or sight; she was walking with faith.
I believe that many people struggle with faith because they have experienced times when the outcome isn’t what they wanted it to be. Before I became a follower of Jesus, one of my coworkers was faced with a tragic situation. Her baby daughter was very sick and given only a few days to live. I remember everyone praying for the baby to be healed, yet the baby died. I thought to myself, “Why didn’t prayer work, and why did the baby die? Wasn’t that false hope?”
One of my favorite quotes from the movie “Little Boy” comes from the scene where Mr. Hashimoto and Father Oliver were discussing Pepper and the sacred list he is working on. Hashimoto asks if the priest was getting the little boy’s hopes up regarding his father coming home. Hashimoto asked what would happen if the boy’s father turned out to be dead. The priest responded that it is God’s will and if that is what happened, God would also get Pepper through.
A FAITH JOURNEY
It has not been an easy journey, but over the years, as my relationship with God has become more personal, I have learned to look past the circumstances and have faith in God’s wisdom and His understanding. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9, ESV). I am learning to trust Him, not the circumstances or my sense of ...
Throughout the movie, people began to watch, and some began to believe in faith. Slowly, hate disappeared, racial boundaries were wiped away, love began to shine through, and friendships were made. No matter the outcome, God had been working throughout the whole situation.
Make it Personal: I personally know that it is not an easy journey to maintain faith in difficult circumstances. First, begin to acknowledge Him when you see Him working. Start with the little things. That parking space that just came open? Give God the praise. When the car finally starts on the fifth try? Give God the praise. Don’t just try to explain it away with common sense thinking. Get to know God better through reading the Bible and learning His promises. Remember God’s faithfulness through a prayer and praise journal: write down prayer requests with the date you put them in God’s hands. Then when God answers the prayer, jot the date and details down so you remember. This will give you the evidence you need to face difficult times with a deeper faith.
Pray: Father, forgive me for the times I have not walked by faith, but instead walked by sight. Forgive me for the times I have been so trapped in common sense thinking that I forget You are in control. Please help me learn to have faith in all circumstances and not just when things are going my way. Your ways are higher than my ways and I do not always understand that what is happening behind the scenes that will glorify you. Thank You for your faithfulness and the love that You have for me.
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:7; Mark 5:25-34; Isaiah 55:8-9; Psalm 23
Weekly Memory Verse: “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20b, ESV