Does Your Faith Need Some Rehab?

A few years ago, my hip started bothering me. It was my right hip. My exercise of choice has always been walking and I had worked up to walking 3 miles a day. Naturally I chalked up this hip problem to beating the pavement. Reluctantly, I decided to lay off the walking and give the hip a rest. It didn’t work.

After a month of resting it, I broke down and went to the orthopedic doctor. A few x-rays later, I was advised I had some arthritis in my hip; however, it was too early for a hip replacement. His recommendation? Rehab.

Well, rehab was not something I wanted to do, but I was desperate for some relief. I have to admit, my therapist was very good and told me the purpose of rehab was to strengthen the muscles around my hip to ease the stress on the joint. Sounded logical to me!

I graduated from six weeks of rehab feeling much stronger and ready to put those walking shoes on again!

Now guess what…after 4 years I am suffering from it again. I guess my next move is a repeat at rehab. But this got me to thinking about my spiritual life. Do I need some rehab in that area, too?

I think we all let the “muscles” of our faith become weak from time to time.

Do you ever slip and not read your Bible or devotions and just fall out of the habit? And then wonder why you are not feeling as empowered and steady as you were awhile back?

Do you become anxious and look at your circumstances as impossible to overcome?

When we don’t exercise our “faith muscle”, it becomes weakened by inactivity. And just like the physical therapist worked with me to rebuild those hip muscles, God’s Word helps us rebuild our faith.

Luke 8:25 Jesus asks His disciples a question. He says, “Where is your faith?”

He asked this question after a storm had come up as they were going across the lake. Jesus had been asleep in the boat and the disciples had worked themselves into a panic!

Jesus awakes, calms the storm and then says, “Where is your faith?”

In other words, why weren’t they exercising their faith? Just like these disciples, we can become weak in faith, if we don’t use it.

Here is the problem…the disciples had seen miracles Jesus had performed over and over. He proved His power over sickness, over demons and over death.

The problem was, even though they knew His power and had witnessed His power…they were unable to connect the dots between this power of Jesus and the situation they were in.

When the storms of uncertainty and fear blow into our lives, it seems we so easily forget the times Jesus has delivered us in the past!

If we could just all realize in our heart of hearts…our God is a God of the impossible. As the Bible says, “With Him, all things are possible! “

So, how is your faith muscle? Are you looking at your circumstances with no connection to God’s abilities?

If Jesus asked you today, “Where is your faith” …what would you say?

Maybe its time we prove God in ways we never thought possible.

Go on and sign up for rehab…your faith muscle will thank you!