Author: Dave Dishman (Page 80 of 412)

I believe in viruses, although I cannot see them. I studied viruses in graduate school, and I’ve seen electron microscope pictures of what they look like. But I can’t hold one in my hand or peer at it through a glass. However, despite their invisibility, I feel their influence.

Oddly enough, faith acts a lot like a virus.

Faith is a slippery concept. The author of Hebrews tells us that faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. How are we assured of what we cannot see? By the influence unseen forces have upon us and our world.

I find it fascinating that the first challenge of faith involves how we got here in the first place: By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

The formation of the universe remains a fundamental challenge for science. If it all started with a big bang, then who lit the fuse? If galaxies exploded from pure energy, from where did this energy originate? By faith many believe the voice of God launched the cosmos. By faith others cling to an undiscovered cause—but then who caused the undiscovered cause? Either way, we must engage with faith.

It doesn’t take much faith to start influencing our lives. Like covid-19 taking hold, faith grows quietly. People say that faith and science don’t mix. But actually the ways of nature mimic faith. A little belief takes root. The Holy Spirit starts to act. Before long you’ve contracted the disease.

And it’s the best disease you’ll ever catch. The virus of faith infuses you, then leaps to others. No need to wear a mask, let your faith in the Lord infect everyone around—because all the world needs this contagion.

Hebrews 11 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by CDC

One can remain confident in the promises the Lord gave to the prophets and writers whose works we find in the Bible. These forecasts proved true over and over, establishing a record hard to ignore.

The Lord promised a wonderful life for the Jewish nation as long as they remained faithful to him. But wrath stood ready if they violated the holy contract. The Lord vowed that conquerers, disease, and famine would all make an appearance.

The Lord reminded the people that in a hopeless future even a little wouldn’t be enough—You will eat, but you will not be satisfied.

Over the years the Israelites first drifted from the Lord, then motored away. They rejected one law after another, going so far as to sacrifice live babies on the alters of demonic gods. The result? Conquerers, disease and famine. They ate but were never satisfied.

Not every promise found in the Scriptures has yet come to fruition. The return of Jesus waits for the right time. But don’t doubt it. Enjoy the uplifting promises of the Lord, and pay attention to his harsh assurances as well.

This passage points to one promise we should take to heart. A guarantee that has unfortunately proven true over and over—reject the Lord and you’ll never find satisfaction.

Leviticus 26 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Mick Haupt

It’s easy to blame God when circumstances turn bad. Not bad like a lousy day, but bad when life falls apart. King David found himself in such a situation when his son, Absalom, launched a coup to take the kingdom for himself.

David wrote in his anguish: I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life. For the first time in his life David found himself an object of contempt and in a place of extreme vulnerability.

So David opened up to the Lord, writing: Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God (quoted by Jesus on the cross, during his own time of vulnerability). Given up for dead, cast out like a broken pot, David turned to his only source of solace.

David wrote of those who fear the Lord, and how he felt turning to God during this precarious time: In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues.

The Lord heard David’s cries for mercy and overturned the plans of Absalom and his cohort. David finished his psalm with praise and an encouragement for all who follow the Lord:

Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

Persevere in the midst of anguish. Cling to the Lord. Return when you’ve strayed, as David did over and over—you’ll be welcomed back. Take heart and stand strong. Good from God is still to come.

Psalm 31 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Karsten Winegeart

Certain verses in the Bible are comforting and others troubling. Here’s one of the more startling:

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

I immediately turn to myself and think—everything? Every thought, attitude, muttering under my breath now bare as a desert before the Lord? That’s super uncomfortable. Then the follow-up gets worse—I must account for the mess God views? Try to explain it all? Not much chance of that.

This points to our need for God’s word to carve deep fissures in our hearts, to create God-honoring thoughts and attitudes. The verse prior reads:

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

It’s best to let the words of God judge our ways of thinking and treating others, and then guide us toward better practices. Ignoring all that and dealing with a righteous and holy God down the road, well, no one wants that confrontation.

Immediately following we read of Jesus, who cleared a path to move toward the Lord, even with our lousy, embarrassing lives. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

No where to run and no where to hide? That’s our situation. But with the words of God forming my mind, and the sacrifice of Jesus covering my soul, I can actually approach the Lord with confidence.

Meaning there’s no more need to run, and no more need to hide.

Hebrews 4 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by JC Gellidon