History 4 - my personal History of Faith ...

Thursday, Oct 8, 2009. History is not only something which applies to nations or kings. History is also my history, my personal history. It is the history of my faith. The biblical view into history highlights the steps of faith of some person. God is highly interested in my fate, and above all he is interested in my personal faith. How did I come to faith? What steps of faith do I go? What is the state of my personal life of faith?

Reading stories about faith can be very exciting. Have you ever read the confessions of Augustine? He wrote around 300 years after Christ, but his thoughts about his personal faith and about the bible are deep and interesting even after 1700 years. Other people were less philosophical, but also made their personal experiences. For Albert Schweitzer it was a step of faith to go and work as doctor in Africa. Other people have found new relationships to former enemies, when they opened their heart for the forgiveness of Jesus. Faith will change the path of our personal life - and through individuals it changes world history!

Everyone has his personal story of faith. For me faith started with a long search to understand what Christian faith is about. I started at the age of 13. I have been a church member of one of the state churches, but I could not see the points of faith clearly. But I wanted to know more. So I started my quest for God. It took me around ten years, until I got to know Jesus the way the bible speaks about him. Somehow I could not see before, though I read theological literature and even attended the national youth festivals of the church.

But there was a time when suddenly the bible became clearer. I started to understand the meaning of what I was reading. It was as if the verses and paragraphs became bright. “Once I was blind, but now I see” is a verse of the popular song “Amazing grace”. It was like this for me. First single lines of the bible started to make sense. Then whole paragraphs, then whole sections, then whole books. Today it is as if the book would be a strong light, a bright light of life and truth, of love and mercy, of justice and hope.

The personal story of faith is not only a story of understanding. It is also a story of practical steps. It is a story of actions, experiences and relationships. When ever you take God serious and go steps of faith, you can experience his presence. You will learn more about him. I am talking about balanced steps of faith, not crazy things which some fanatics might suggest. I am talking about truth and love and mercy. I am talking about prayer. I am talking about appreciation, about consequent decisions which search life and which help people to find the love of God themselves.

What are your steps of faith? What is your history of faith? Are you with Jesus already? Or are you searching him? There are many interesting steps to expect! God has prepared a path for us, a path which is shaped by his mercy, by his truth and his love. He is trustworthy, we can be looking to the future full of hope - he will be there wherever we go and shape our personal history. [R.W.E.P., jesusnetwork.eu]

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