Making Faith your Default
Faith not Fear
Since reading Max Lucado’s quote, there’s been one question echoing in my heart. How do I make faith my default? The Holy Spirit’s answer? Start meditating on Scripture about God’s sovereignty.
Can you imagine a life with no fear? What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? (Max Lucado)
Traveling by Air
We experience fear when we’re weak or helpless during disasters or when we’re in physical danger. But the danger doesn’t have to be real. When I was in my 20s and 30s, I liked flying, but I would tense up whenever air turbulence hit. There was nothing I could do. The plane would stop bucking eventually. Meanwhile my hands stayed glued to the armrests.
Standing in an airport, waiting to transfer to a smaller commercial jet, I asked God,
Why does turbulence bother me so much?
His answer popped into my mind immediately.
It’s because you aren’t in control; but I am.
Suddenly I understood. God alone is in charge of keeping my plane aloft. Not the pilots, the engineers or the aviation mechanics. All those people are very skilled, but they’re strangers.
At that moment, my trust became anchored in God’s power and goodness. Good thing too. 
Because the next plane was definitely small. People in my part of the country laughingly call such tiny commuter jets “puddle-jumpers.”
Did we hit turbulence? Yes we certainly did. But for the 1st time in my life, I felt relaxed even as the plane shook. Because you see, faith had become my default.
Now, even flying decades later, I no longer get anxious.
Some Practical Ideas
We strengthen our chances of faith becoming our default response if we meditate on Scripture and Biblical stories highlighting God’s Sovereignty. Personal testimonies of other believers build our faith too.
Start with the miracles of Jesus, the ten plagues of Egypt and the book of Psalms, which often exalts the Almighty’s power and sovereignty. Memorize Scriptures you want to chew on. I’m asking the Holy Spirit to help me explore this truth in deeper ways. Ask Him questions. Put yourself in the story. For instance, when the Lord plunged Egypt into darkness for 3 days, the sun still continued to shine in the sky. But God blocked that blessing away from Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.”22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days.23 No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived. (Exodus 10:21-23 NIV)
36 hours of darkness must have been terrifying—especially when none of the Egyptians knew when the curse would end. Going out to the village well to draw water would have been an ordeal. What if you got twisted around and lost your way?
Our Creator can selectively block out the sun, the moon and the stars. Ponder that truth for a while.
All these images came from Pixabay.com.
Resource
The Kendrick brotherscreated the Christian film War Room. They based the character of Miss Clara partly on their mother. Her testimony of living through the destructive power of a tornado as a young child is quite remarkable.
The Mighty Influence of a Praying Mom: Rhonwyn Kendrick’s Story
