Faith versus beliefs

Matthew 8 : 5 - 17

The centurion in the gospel episode was a Roman soldier and presumably a 'foreigner'. Yet he had great faith in the person of Jesus. For him, Jesus was someone of 'repute' - a Jewish religious teacher perhaps...someone in whose presence the centurion felt deeply humbled. However, the situation called for urgent measures and he found himself moved to request help from Jesus. This is when Jesus praised the centurion's heart of faith. He did not require certain 'beliefs' in order to trust Jesus. The centurion probably had no knowledge of the religious beliefs of the Hebrew people. Yet his heart 'knew' who to trust.

I find quite a number of people 'losing' the 'beliefs' they once held, when life's circumstances challenge them. Imagine believing that God is "all knowing" and then having a loved one die in a tragic accident. "Why did the all knowing God not avert the accident when he knew it would happen? What does it mean for God to be "all knowing"? Yet such persons often declare that they still strongly trust, and continue to have 'faith' in God (though, sometimes with some guilt: "have I lost my faith?" since I don't believe in the way I used to)

The Lord knows our hearts - and responds to us according to our deep trust in him - even though this trust is not based on certain "beliefs". The faith that Jesus hopes for is not based on the acceptance of certain correct religious doctrines. It was the total trust and surrender of the centurion that moved him to respond. It is the gift of faith that we seek first of all to nurture. Faith seeks understanding, but only in that faith does any 'belief system' make sense.

"My heart and my flesh may fail but God is the stronghold of my life...." (Psalm 73: 26)