By Petey Prater
Lois
labors to breathe, gulping for air. She’s 94 and congestive heart failure robs
her lungs of oxygen. But a greater problem consumes her. Although Jesus is her
Savior, she’s never studied her Bible and is terrified of dying. Filled with
fears, she clutches my hand, clinging to my faith. She’s been at death’s
door before. Many times we’ve talked of her unbelief, her lack of faith.
“Don’t
leave me,” she gasps.
“Lois, I’m happy to sit with you all night if you need me. But it saddens me when you piggyback on my faith.”
I
write fear and anxiety on a blank paper and hand it to her. “What are
you going to do about your fears?” The familiar question again. “Fear and faith
can’t coexist.”
Taking
the card she tears it in half, drops it into the wastebasket and says, “Lord, I
give you my fears and anxieties.” Then…“But I just want to live a little
longer.”
“What
if Jesus wants you home in Heaven tonight, are you willing to have His will?” I
ask.
Lois
struggles, then bows her head praying, “All right, Lord, if You want me
tonight, I’m willing.”
Instantly
her breathing quiets and her body relaxes. Peace. Tension and fear lift from
her face. I remember the Bible verse: “These people all died controlled and
sustained by their faith.” Hebrews 11:13, Amplified Finally Lois has
allowed her faith to “control and sustain” her. She’s relinquished her unbelief
and fears to Jesus. It’s a glorious transformation. Two hours later she
breathes her last breath and Jesus lifts her gently to Heaven.
Unbelief
is lack of trust and confidence in God and his Word. We can’t have faith apart
from Jesus, God’s Son, for he is the “author and perfecter
of our faith….” Hebrews 12:2
We
cannot even please God without faith. Scripture says: “And without faith it
is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that
he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 10:6
If we do not believe the Triune God, we will have no God to listen to our prayers. When oppression, trouble and sorrow comes we will have no Helper. When death comes we will have no hope of Heaven, for we are not trusting Savior Jesus, the only door to Heaven and eternity. Unbelief is unanswered prayers now and eternity without God in the fires of Hell.
Faith’s Joyful End
We
can get hold of faith, it is not wispy like a cloud. It is “being sure of
what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 The
Message states, “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in
God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth
living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.”
“All
right,” you say, “I want my prayers answered. I want eternal safety. If the
handle to God’s door is faith, where’s the key? I want in!”
Ask
Jesus, God’s son, for faith to believe in him. “You are all sons of God
through faith in Christ Jesus….”Galatians 3:26 Read and obey the Bible
daily, praying for understanding. “Faith comes from hearing the message, and
the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 Spend
time
getting to know the Lord in conversational prayer. “The Lord confides in
those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.” Psalm 25:14
Someone said, “Unbelief is a dark room where we develop our negatives.” Don’t live in the dark another minute. Transform your negative of unbelief to positive faith. Come to the Light of the World. Choose faith. Walk in light.
Petey Prater writes from Beaverton, OR. peteyprater@yahoo.com