Faith Never Ending: by Joey 

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In an effort to navigate some wild waves, I gave a testimony about being 21 years in remission from hairy-cell leukemia. One of the responses was: Praise God for his faithfulness. The word faithful struck a chord in me, so I looked it up to find the deeper meaning. Faithful: steadfast, firm, unwavering, true, relentless, single-minded, unchanging,  

 

In contemplating these words, I began to think about God as being unchanging, unwavering, relentless, and single-minded. Imagine it...someone being so sure of their purpose. Which brings Jer.29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

 

This verse has been a mainstay for me for years, but never has it been so alive. Somehow in my walk I have thought a lot about faith, love, and hope in me...But I never really understood how resolute God is to finish the work. 1John4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

 

Taking the word single-minded, I am reminded of the following: Matt.6:21 “The light of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. Single-minded...I wonder what that means for me when I have had so many genres pressing on my spirit. The word itself leads to: determined, committed, unwavering, resolute, set, fixed, uncompromising, persevering, tireless, tenacious, persistent, unyielding. ANTONYMS: halfhearted 

 

It occurs to me that to navigate what life throws at us, it takes a tenacious spirit. The word means patient. Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

 

Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up—Ephesians 4:2 With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. Psalm 37:7-9 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.

 

Be still before the Lord. I do not know about anyone else, but when I set my mind to do this, it would seem every obstacle in the world comes to destroy and distract from the quiet needed. And yet somehow, with perseverance, his spirit moves one safe to shore.

 

Psalm 124: A song of ascents. Of David. 1 If the Lord had not been on our side, et Israel say—2 if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us, 3 they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us; 4 the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, 5 the raging waters would have swept us away. 6 Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.7 We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

 

Growing up with a lot of verbal abuse from family members, I see this as inner anger versus others' anger being thrown my way. Being a writer, I have had to do the work, so to speak, to clear the log jam of emotion this has created. And yet, without the HS through the word, this is not possible.

 

In closing, I wrote this a while ago, but it is so timely: A Cup of Water: A cup untarnished has the power to hold the healing water that causes light to unfold. Bringing forth what one cannot see and renewing a joy in the journey that has been a missing key. A cup of water, a vessel so small, holds the power to move the heart and scale the walls. Revealing a pathway that cuts through the storm to allow one to find refuge in the quiet and let the spirit soar.