Faith vs. Facts God Wins Every Time

[Ramez5]

And (Abraham) being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.


“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
― John Adams

“There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.”
― Arthur Conan Doyle,

Facts are indeed stubborn and painful things... normally. However, when you lay your facts on the altar before God, they become mere puffs of wind. There is no fact that is unchangeable when you put it up against God's person, will and power.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matt. 19:26

How many times have you read or heard from others, that you must 'face the facts'. Frankly, I don't mind doing so, but only through the eyes of faith. I won't face them without God holding me up. Because facts.. are not the only 'reality' nor are they immovable.

Fact: I've been overweight much of my life. Many of my relatives have been or are also. I've been trying to lose weight for five years. So far, I've not lost the weight.

Faith: God can change this and God can change me.

Fact: My friend Sherree's car died.

Faith: God can provide a new one.

Fact: We once got a 100,000 medical bill.

Faith: God had already provided the means for paying it off 12 months before the due date.

You can fill in the blanks yourself. I venture to guess that we all have a 'hall of faith'... testimonies to what God has done.

And yes, sometimes we simply glorified God, in the face of unanswered prayers.. like Hebrews 11 talks of.. saints who looked for the answer.. in the world to come. Heroes and Heroines who never doubted God and suffered in this life but were glorified in the next.
And Jesus answered saying to them, "Have faith in God. "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Mark 11:23

How in the world could Abraham believe God when he told Abraham he would make him the
'Father of Many Nations' ? He looked at the fact of his dead 100 year old body, and Sarah's dead womb, and then at the living God. Once he looked at God, his faith was 'empowered' and he was able to believe.. in spite of the facts.


was strong - endunamoó: to empower to receive strength, be strengthened, increase in strength: Arts 9:22; ἐν τίνι, in anything, 2 Timothy 2:1; ἐν κυρίῳ in union with the Lord,
What we need, when faced with seemingly unalterable facts, is a good look at God's face and who He is, was, and always will be.

Glory to God - doxa: good opinion hence praise, honor, glory to give or ascribe glory to God, why and how being evident in each case from the context: thus, by declaring one's gratitude to God for a benefit received, Luke 17:18; by not distrusting God's promises,

When I first read this passage yesterday, it suddenly dawned on me that our faith is strongest when we look at the person of God--who He is, what He has done, and what He says he will do. We have faith in people we know and trust. Is there anyone who merits that trust more than God?

Is it possible that we don't believe or trust God, because we don't know him very well? Abraham knew God.. and therefore did not doubt he could do what he promised. They spent a lot of time together and God had never let him down. He lived in constant reliance on God every day.

If we really knew God well, we'd never doubt either His ability, or his will. I am convinced that there is so much more, that I need to know, of God.. and what it means to really have faith in Him.

The more time we spend with God, the more we know Him. The more we know Him, the more we trust Him.
Faith (4102/pistis) is always a gift from God, and never something that can be produced by people. for the believer is "God's divine persuasion" – and therefore distinct from human belief (confidence), yet involving it. The Lord continuously births faith in the yielded believer so they can know what He prefers, i.e. the persuasion of His will (1 Jn 5:4).

-a. when it relates to God, πίστις is "the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ"
I don't know what facts you are facing now but I do know who can handle them. Yet He waits for us to seek Him, to cry out to Him, wait for Him.

Immovable facts bring us face to face with God.
Never fear--God is worthy of our trust.

What the Lord wants from us more than anything else, is for us to look to Him for everything and to give Him glory. He wants to be the very center of our lives, our souls, and our being.

Dear Lord, I don't know what difficult situations are facing my readers. I do know that I am facing things that seem impossible to me, facts that don't want to budge. Help us to remember all the times you have moved mountains for us in the past. Give us so much faith Lord, that your reality is all we can see. May we be drawn into an ever deepening intimacy with you that will make our faith in you unshakeable. Open our eyes so we can see your reality. Amen.