Keeping The Faith

Thursday after noon Pastor Will and Joyce Hunsaker of Open Bible Church in Clear Lake, Iowa were on the radio. They gave their testimony of losing their daughter in a motorcycle accident. Their daughter Nell was a senior in High School just graduating. She was on her way to Mason City, Iowa to get some things for her open house. Their family is a motorcycle family so that's what she was driving. On her way a lady pulled out in front of her and they crashed. The crash had torn her aorta. The doctors could not mend it in time and she suffered major brain damage. She was on life support for nine days when they finally had to make the decision to take her off of life support.

During their testimony Pastor Joyce read one of Nell's writings from school. It was a paper on relationship. In her paper she talked about her relationship with Jesus and how precious it was. Now take in mind she was attending a secular school system and her teacher let her do this because she stressed this was what was in her heart.

How hard it must of been to keep on going after such a tragedy. But reading all of Nell's writings put them at ease. They know that their little girl had Jesus in her heart. They know that they will see their girl again some day and that she is in good hands with the Lord.

This testimony put an impression on me. When life stomped on their hearts they kept preaching the Word of God and still do so. How many of us lose faith when trouble like that comes our way. We let doubt eat away at us and don't trust God in all His Goodness. We all go through things that we don't always understand. If we just trust God and keep fighting the good fight of faith we will make it to the promised land.

The Israelites kept going in circles and circles for forty years because they doubted Gods goodness. Even after seeing His fire by night and cloud during the day. They seen the Red Sea parted and God provided and provided yet they told Aaron, "MAKE FOR US GODS WHO WILL GO BEFORE US; FOR THIS MOSES WHO LED US OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT--WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM."

So it says in the Word, we will live by faith and not by sight. Where is your faith? Is it in what you see going on around you. Or is it in the Lord your God. In Hebrews 11 it reads, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." And Hebrews 11:6 continues to tell us that, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."

By faith Pastor Will and Joyce know their daughter is with the Lord. They also know that their faith will bring them to be with the Lord and their little girl as well. Because as you know we are saved by grace through faith.