Chapter 29 -- The Hand of Faith
"Jesus said to the man that had his hand withered . . . stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored." Luke 6: 10.
One of the most common mistakes by which
souls are kept back from faith is that they do not feel the strength
for faith. They desire first to feel faith living in themselves, and
then they would believe. But that the command to believe should come to
them while they do not yet feel themselves prepared for it or in a
position to believe -- this they do not comprehend. They do not
understand, because they have not observed, what we experience or may
see every day, that readiness and ability for any work is not given
before the work but only through the work, and thus after we begin to
work. The child that learns to run begins before he can really do it,
and learns in the midst of the effort. The man that wishes to learn
swimming goes into the water while he cannot yet swim, because he knows
that, when he begins, he will in time learn to do it. And this law of
nature has a still more glorious application in grace. God gives us
commands for which we have previously no power, and yet requires
obedience to them with full right; because He has said to us that when
we submit, and set ourselves towards obedience, strength will be given
along with this incipient activity. And this is the spirit in which we
are to believe. Under the conviction of its unbelief, the soul must set
itself to believe. In the assurance that power will be bestowed, it is
yet to make a beginning: "Lord, I believe." In this action it is also
to persevere and go forward.
Very strikingly are both aspects of this
truth pictured to us in the case of the man with the withered hand. He
feels his hand powerless, and yet Jesus says to him: "Stretch forth thy
hand." He sees in the Savior enough to convince him that He will not
mock him, that He who gives this command will certainly never issue it
without, at the same time, giving power to carry it out. He obeys and
his hand is healed. O soul, the Lord Jesus who calls to you, "Believe
in Me, as your Savior," knows your helplessness. But it is just on this
account that He speaks to you to rescue you from it.
With a voice of power He commands you,
"Believe in Me, that I am given by God to be your Savior: stretch out
your hand to lay hold of Me and to appropriate Me for yourself." Listen
to Him, be willing to obey Him; remember that with the command He also
gives the strength; begin, although you do not yet feel the power, and,
although you can still do nothing, say, like Martha: "I believe that
Thou art the Christ, the Son of God." Show that it is your desire to
believe, and that you are in dead earnest about it; set your soul to
attend to the fact that He really speaks to you, and to hear how
charmingly attractive and kindly encouraging His voice is: "O thou
unbelieving one, believe in Me." As the man with the withered hand
obtained power to stretch it out at the command of Jesus, so shall it
be with you. The command, "Believe," will no longer oppress you with
the thought, "I cannot do it," but encourage you to entertain the
confidence: "Jesus commands it, thus it is to be, thus it may be." And
if, with every inclination again to be discouraged, you look to Jesus
and hear how cheeringly He calls to you, "You may, you must, you can
believe in Me," your soul will be strengthened with an ever-growing
steadfastness to entrust yourself to Him. In the endeavor to believe,
strength for it is given and exercised: the hand of faith will soon be
entirely healed.
Soul, Jesus asks you, "If I speak the
truth to you, why do you not believe?" He tells you the divine truth
that He has come for you. He tells you the truth that your faith may be
awakened thereby. I beseech you, understand this. See Him who here
speaks: it is Jesus, the faithful and almighty Lover: hear His voice
and be no longer unbelieving.