Non-Flinching Faith

To flinch is to draw back in fear or as if in pain. It is an instinctive, nervous movement from in response to anticipation or surprise. 

Have you ever played Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza? It’s a loud, slapping game that will make you laugh every round. There’s a flinching rule though. If your hand moves the tiniest bit to reach for the pile at the wrong time – BAM! – that’s a flinch and you lose the round. And when the object of the game is to get rid of all your cards first, flinching and having to pick up all the cards isn’t your desired outcome.

 

In football terms, they could call that “off-sides” or a “false start”. Then your team is slapped with a five-yard penalty. 

 

I have been thinking about this sentence from Paul David Tripp’s devotional, New Morning Mercies. In his devotional for September 25, he writes, “Biblical faith looks reality in the face and doesn’t flinch.” I mean...talk about #goals, right?! That’s the kind of faith I want. 

 

It makes me think of David when he picked up a stone and slung it at Goliath. He didn’t flinch. He even had four others stones for Goliath’s four brothers in case they tried to take on the challenge.

 

You know who else didn’t flinch? Abraham. When told to go kill his son as a sacrifice, the Bible says, “he got up early in the morning … and took ... his son Isaac...”. 

 

First of all, he woke up early to leave! I don’t know about you but waking up early to sacrifice my son would not have been a thought at all.

 

Secondly, we don’t know Abraham’s thoughts when God told him to offer Isaac. But I can tell you what my thoughts would have been that day! One would have said, “God – are You sure we aren’t off-sides on this one!?”  It took Abraham three days to get to Mt. Moriah, so maybe that gave him time to work it all out. I tend to think that Abraham had zero doubts from the beginning because when they arrived at Mt. Moriah, he told his servants they would be back and assured his son that God would provide the offering. 

 

Abraham didn’t get to this non-flinching faith overnight. It took years. About 25 years of God building Abraham’s faith to get him to the point to be willing to sacrifice his son. It started with something that seemed mild – "take your family and go to the land I will show you.”

 

That doesn’t seem so bad. Maybe an inconvenience? A little daunting? Overwhelming? 

It might have even been a little exciting too! Like a treasure hunt. Something new – like moving – can be exciting. Add in the little adventure of not knowing exactly where you are going might even give a little pep in your step to get you on your way! 

 

That was just the beginning for Abraham. The more Abraham’s faith grew, the more impossible it seemed. 

 

Where is my faith in impossible situations? Is my faith flinching or is it looking reality dead in the eye and standing firm? How do you get non-flinching faith? What happens if your faith does flinch? Do you get sidelined? 

 

Let’s stay in this little huddle of faith and flinching for a bit for some discussion.

 

Until next time ….

 

Don’t Flinch.