Words to "Keep the faith"

               “Keep the faith.”  Just three words spoken to me by a physical therapist I have worked with intermittently for more than three years and saw just last week.  But those few words and the genuine encouragement behind them meant more to me than she knew because it was like God Himself also reminded me to do just that:  Keep the faith, the faith that I have given you.

               I have been bandied about for more than 20 years by what was first diagnosed as fibromyalgia, which at the time was a malady I and many others had never heard of.  There were no commercials on television about lyrica and its help for the widespread pain fibromyalgia causes.  Since that diagnosis, I have had periods of doing fairly well and periods of great difficulty.  In the last few years, the stiffness and pain in my hips and legs have greatly affected the way I walk, clearly indicating something more than fibromyalgia is involved. 

Finding out what that something might be and gaining some relief from the painful symptoms have taken me to various specialists with varying results.  I’m sure it is hard for a doctor to know what to do with a patient whose problem is hard to pin down.  Recently, I was called the “mystery woman,” something the doctor seemed to find intriguing with no clue about how being this mysterious presentation of symptoms has neither been intriguing or amusing to me.

Fortunately, throughout this frustrating medical journey, I have also been actively seeking God and earnestly desiring to hear “His still small voice” above my own fears and discouragement.  The words that God can speak so very personally right to our hearts are indeed powerful and life-giving.  In Psalm 27, David’s declaration of his hope has given me comfort many times:  “I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (13).  He goes on to exhort himself and us to “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage” (14).

Biblical faith is defined in Hebrews as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).  That chapter goes on to list the many amazing outcomes of such faith, including the birth of Isaac after Sarah was far beyond child-bearing years and the protection of the children of Israel celebrated in the Passover when their firstborn were protected from destruction.  God had spoken words of guidance and power to both Abraham and Moses, and He offers us those same opportunities for faith today if we will but listen, really listen to His wisdom instead of relying on our own.

An attention grabbing—at least to me—Dell ad on TV recently has wonderfully stirring words recalling the small beginnings of big companies today, such as Skype and Drop Box.  Showing the little rooms and dates where these big success stories began, the narration is compelling.  In each example, “those with endless vision and an equal amount of audaciousness believed they had the power to do more.”  Vision, courage, belief, power—all very important aspects of our Christian call to seek faith in God and believe in the power of the name of Jesus.           

Three simple words, “Keep the faith,” brought fresh light and encouragement to me from a very kind and helpful therapist.  But also so very important is what those words pointed me back to—a faith in God that even as small as a mustard seed carries the power to move mountains.  As Jesus said, “Nothing will be impossible for you” (Mat. 17:19,20).