Sunday, November 15, 2009

Faith is ILLOGICAL!!!


What is faith??? Everybody has something different to say.  As for me, Faith is Absolutely Illogical! Thats my POV.

I wanna tell you a story. 'Not so long ago, there was a man on a mountaineering mission. It was a dark winter night, and he was climbing up a steep, dangerous snow clad slope, when he suddenly lost control and fell... He fell off a cliff...... but fortunately on his way down to certain death he caught hold of a tree which grew right out of the cliff. He held on to it for dear life. It was very cold and foggy, so much so that he couldn’t even see his feet. While dangling in mid-air, he heard a voice asking him to “Let go”. Scared as he was, he tried ignoring that voice, but he kept on hearing the very same words again and again.  He realized that God was asking him to “Let go. Fall.” He said, “Here I’m hanging in mid air, holding onto a tree. I can’t even see what’s below me, and you are asking me to let go! What a stupid thing to do! I better stay here and wait for help than jump to my death. It would be morning soon and someone would come to rescue me.”  The morning surely did come soon, but not for him. That morning the local villagers were stunned to see a man frozen to death, holding on to a tree just a few feet above the ground!!' All because he thought that letting go was not logical enough.




These days we have become so logical. We try to look at pros and cons in everything we do. But there are some things where logic doesn't apply. Falling in Love is one such thing. And faith is nothing but falling in love with God! Not because we deserve His Love but because He loved us first. (1John4:10). Why should God who created everything, come in the form of human and live on earth? Why should God die on the cross for our sins, for the sins of every human past, present and future? Why should God forgive sinners, those who forsook Him, those who humiliated, stripped, chastised, crucified Him? Illogical? Absolutely!! God’s love for us is illogical and that’s how our faith should be: ILLOGICAL!!


Our simple faith is what God values and appreciates. I was just reading a passage from the Bible when I stumbled across a verse which hit me hard. Many a times when we pray we say ‘Lord, let it be done to me according to your will.’ But this verse was just the opposite! In this passage (Matthew9:27-31), two blind men follow Jesus asking Him to heal them. What Jesus tells is absolutely amazing. He says, “Let it be done to you according to your Faith.”(Mt9:29) Not according to His will, or according to what they deserve, or according to what is expected, or according to their ability or inability, or according to anything else. He just says, “according to your FAITH!” And that’s what happened. Their faith in Jesus was strong and needless to say they received what they asked for. This just showed me how much God values our innocent, blind faith. Faith can move God’s heart.





I would like to share an experience that one of my friends had. World Youth Day (WYD) is an event in which millions of youngsters from all over the world come together at one place to share, profess and grow in their faith in Christ. In 2005, Cologne, Germany hosted the WYD. My friend dearly wanted to go for it. But there was a major obstacle: Money. Somehow he arranged enough money for flight tickets, visa etc. After all this was done he hardly had any money left with him. He has been praying and longing to go for WYD for a long time. Finally he decided to go for it, even though it seemed completely illogical. When he left Chennai International Airport he had just Rs 500 (approx $10) with him and this was basically for his train fare back from Chennai to his home when he returns. He had absolutely no idea about what to do once he reaches Cologne. But he had faith in God! He prayed, he prayed every morning. And God sent him an angel every day. Every day He would come across someone who would sponsor his breakfast, lunch and dinner, would take him around and would give him a place to stay. All this, without him asking it from them.  It didn’t happen for a day or two, but for two week! In these two weeks he went around Cologne, Germany and France. He had a beautiful time during the WYD, and when he landed back in Chennai International Airport, he still had that Rs 500 with him. Everybody called him crazy when he decided to go for the WYD with just Rs 500 in his hands, but his illogical faith in God made it all possible. He had an all expense paid trip to Europe for two weeks and an experience of a lifetime, just because he trusted in God blindly.

Faith is ILLOGICAL! I'm someone who strongly believes in logical reasoning. Unless there is a strong logic supporting a choice, I wouldn't go for it. But when it comes to following God's ways, I try to keep the logic part away. Coz Faith is ILLOGICAL. And it is just that. Surely there are enough and more reasons to believe God exists, to logically prove His presence. But unless one experiences His Love, all the knowledge and reasons are  absolutely useless. And the only way to experience His Love is to trust in Him blindly.

The next time you have any doubt, confusion or dilemma, the next time you face a situation that you are not so sure of, the next time things are not going the way you want them to, the next time you have a decision to make, the next time you don’t know what to do, just close your eyes, have faith in God and jump.........                
the loving arms of God, our Father would be there to catch you.





Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew17:20)


Faith can move mountains.... More importantly faith can move God's heart. Have Faith.


18 comments:

  1. "FAITH IS ILLOGICAL!!!" ..... me being where i am today is to me the greatest example of this phrase. Though sometimes i believe that faith can also be supported by logic, i strongly believe that in most times when everything around you seems illogical and improbable, Faith serves as the best answer. Therefore i guess i can logically conclude that 'Faith is illogical' and that is the beauty of it.Wonderful writeup!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Funny coincidence that one of my friends told me the same thing in a very different context today...Also it is what my grandma keeps telling me and now I am telling you "ninde vishwasam ninne rakshikkatte" :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Really true!Many times experienced in my life too! Jumping into the unknown! Illogical! Thanks for sharing it wonderfully!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Tejhas,
    Well, not completely illogical... When all logic fails, the only logical thing is to follow God's voice...:-)
    Really enjoyed reading it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Smita, i agree wid u. but faith is needed not only when all other logic fails, when there is no other option but to follow God's voice. Faith is a daily walk with God. And most of the times during this walk we have to close our eyes and blindly follow where He takes us.And where He takes us is beyond our wildest imaginations, beyond our best dreams.... I say this coz i have experienced it so many times. :-)
    'We live by faith, not by sight.'(2Corinthians5:7)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Truly Thejas, faith is illogical...
    I understood this only in recent days.. when nothing seems to be important to me than sleeping for long hours... now LOrd has given me the grace to attend mass often (though not regular yet)and i feel that day to be very blessed at every second.. this too would sound illogical to an atheist

    ReplyDelete
  7. hey, i really enjoyed reading it. it was a great wakin call for me i would say.. Praise The Lord.

    ReplyDelete
  8. hey really Lord is working wonderfully thru u dear...I could feel, He is working in me thru ur writings, i will share this with u..ok take care, and keep doing:)Letti

    ReplyDelete
  9. wow thejas! great write up: easy read and true to the core...i'm sure this write up will touch many lives....keep writin...god bless!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. gr88 to read...done a good job..really enjoyed reading this dear....keep up ur good work..god bless u!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. The best part about faith being Illogical is that even in times when you know that you don't deserve anything from God, you can still call out to the Lord and be sure that he will take control of the situation. Then you can just relax, knowing that your problem is in safe hands..... That's the beauty of faith in God!Even when we are not worthy of it, He goes out of His way to love us

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dear friend.. What if illogical faith prompts us to go to extremes? How should one act when his or her choice can have deep impact on the lives of people around them forever. Should our choice be based on love and a sense of responsibility or illogical faith in the provision, sufficiency and power of God. For example, a missionary who has to choose between his call(full time..not part time) and his primary duty being the sole bread winner of the family. Should he make a choice like St Francis did???

    ReplyDelete
  13. just to add to what i typed above.....
    keep going my friend in Christ....you are doing a fabulous job by letting the holy spirit use you for the Kingdom of God.

    ReplyDelete
  14. My Anonymous Buddy
    The situation that you have mentioned is pretty tricky n in such situations i wud like to suggest you 2 discern the Will of the Lord in ur life strongly. Once you are 100% sure, then only go ahead with it. the Lord wil surely guide u thru d Word of God, thru people, thru other instances.
    Apart from dat, personally speaking i value d 4th commandment a lot. Honour your father and mother and.......(Exodus20:12) So i wud never suggest going against their wishes. but thats my POV. have your own discussion with God n find out wat to do.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sumbdy had mentioned this in my church, "God is only as big as ur mind can think!" There are times wen our logic limits our God's power, purpose and even His scope to help u. So having ILLOGICAL limitless faith is more helpful than a logical restricted one.
    And @Anonymous writer: one's life is not one's own to choose. God's made each one for a purpose. If u ask Him, He will tell u wat it is. So no matter wat the circumstances... If ur doing His will...everything else will get taken care off. After all He is the Creator and the Provider.
    Seek His will, He will lead u on

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your faith is like filthy rags, where is no good works neither is there any faith

    ReplyDelete