A Hymn, A Mentor, A Life Deposit And A Lesson In Faith

“Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.” Rabindranath Tagore 

I’ve been wrestling in my faith walk the last few days

I’ve kind of been in a mood in the last few days. My son’s deployment is inching ever closer, I get in a surly mood and just stare at the ceiling. What can I do? What will I do when he leaves? Will he be okay? A year is a long time to be away. During my oldest son’s deployment he was 7000 miles away and I could do nothing but pray. I remember when he left I cried like a baby. Sobs wracked my body. My husband just held me as I kept saying, “Will he be okay?” He said, “I don’t know, but he’s got a good head on his shoulders, he will figure it out.” 

I thought that my prior deployment experience would help with the circumstances right now

You would think that having had a son that had deployed before I would be a little more at ease in my spirit. Nope. As I sat in my disquieted spirit today, I got to thinking about God and his care for us. When I was younger, I decided to become a licensed minister of the gospel. In that time, I spent hours upon hours studying scripture. I took courses, tests and submitted work to gain this license. I took the last course, it was concerning faith. 

Music always teaches lessons of faith

Because I am a musician, I immediately thought of the hymn that is called, Faith is the Victory. The hymn was written in 1886 by John Yates. He wasn’t a grand musician, but he wrote the words from his heart. Faith is the victory, Oh glorious victory that overcomes the world. His banner over us is love, our sword the word of God. We tread the roads of saints above with shouts of triumph trod. How can you overcome the world with faith?

Faith tells us a story of the larger picture of life

Faith lets us know that God is bigger than us. Our story versus the majesty of God are almost incomparable. Is our situation hard and real? Yes. But God is bigger. That faith is bigger, it is the faith that is the victory that overcomes the world. After I finished the course concerning faith, I submitted my work to Pat Carver, the head of the ministry. She graded my work, laid down to go to bed that evening and sadly, she passed in her sleep. My work was the last work she ever read and commented on. When I attended her funeral, my dear honorary mother handed the final work to me that Pat had graded. 

My mentor put a faith deposit in my life

The top said, “Well done my dear, Faith truly is the victory that overcomes the world.” In my tears of grief, I felt honored that my work was the last she laid eyes on before she awoke in the arms of God. This moment had slipped from my memory in the last few years. 20 years have passed, life has moved on and new memories have been made. Yet today, in my worry fest, God brought that memory back to me. 

The memory was a hug from the Lord

The memory felt like a hug from the Lord. Almost like a bear hug. Why? God was telling me to run back into the arms of faith for my child. Don’t trust on your understanding, trust in God’s promises. Make prayer the center focus of your life. Also in that moment God helped me to see his deposits of faith throughout my life that helped prepare me for this moment that needs faith. 

God has put faith deposits in our life

Have you ever really thought about the faith deposits that God has put throughout your life? Whether it is a lesson or a mentor. A hymn or a bit of wisdom from God, those deposits are there to prepare you to walk in faith. Will I still worry, probably. But I must keep myself anchored in the victory that overcomes the world. Faith. 

What can be learned?

What can we learn, how should we be? That is a good question for the mind to conceive. Take the bits and bobs that have been sprinkled throughout your life and see that God’s goodness has been spread in many situations of life. Pause and take a moment, say a prayer of thanks. Take those moments and sing a hymn of praise. Learn from them, make them better and then pass them on. They could be a real contribution to another person’s faith song. 

Faith deposits are truly a gift

I am thankful that Pat Carver put that faith deposit into my life all those years ago. Hopefully as my son’s deployment continues I will remember more faith deposits that God has put in my life over time. My prayer dear readers is that He will do that for you too.