Recently I was reading a grand old work of fiction printed in 1948 called The Big Fisherman, written by the fabulous author, Lloyd C. Douglas, who also wrote such books as Magnificent Obsession and The Robe.

        The Big Fisherman is a fast paced book with fictitious characters whose lives intermingle with the lives of Biblical characters, including Peter, the inspiration for the title. At any rate, what caught my attention was a fictional discussion by the disciples while Jesus was not present. In it they are saying that Jesus was asking them to go to a town and they didn’t understand why. Bartholomew declares that, “Jesus is teaching them to have faith.” Thomas then says, “But - can’t a man have faith - and understanding, too?” That is when the lightning bolt hit me, for Bartholomew replies, “No, that’s what faith is for! It’s for when we can’t understand.” And Peter adds, “That’s true, when a man understands, he doesn’t need any faith.”

        We all know that, of course, but for some reason it jumped out at me in a way it never had before. It reminded me of the true incident that occurred some years back when a good believer traveled to India for the sole purpose of having Mother Teresa pray over him that God would give him clarity in his life. When she heard the request her reply was an instantaneous “No”. The man was stunned and said, “But Mother Teresa, you have always had clarity.” To this she laughed and gently said, “No, I have never had clarity, I have only had trust. I will pray for God to give you trust”

        So, if you have been looking for understanding, or clarity, about how or when God will answer your situation or do this or that, stop thinking about it. It probably is time for absolute, unquestioning faith. It is time to sit back and calmly trust. In God’s eyes we are worth much more than the sparrows. Just remember, “In all things God works for good for those who love Him.” That is all we need to know.