Faith an Empty Chair

Faith can sometimes feel like pulling up an empty chair, there’s nothing to touch, no warm hands, and no familiar voice. Sometimes, this is what faith feels like, like an empty chair, nothing to hold on to, no one talking back.

But faith is said to be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Even though we can't always see or touch it, faith is still there. It’s through our actions that faith becomes real and complete (James 2:22).

Faith lives in the small, quiet moments. It’s like those biscuits your mom would prepare for special visitors. You couldn’t eat them because she always expected someone to come. When they did arrive, she was ready. 

But as you wait, faith becomes the quiet struggle we often do not dare utter. It’s that yearning for God to speak not just through scripture, but in a way that feels real, in a way you can see and touch.

In those moments, it requires us to sit. I love the story of Jacob,it resonates deeply with me. His struggle with the man was so intense that the man couldn’t overpower him. So, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip, wrenching it as they wrestled. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” Some scholars

believe the man was God or perhaps an angel. I’ll leave that up to you to figure out, but both are of God.

This should be our attitude. We fight and wrestle with God. In our walk with Him, we have moments when our faith falters, and that’s because we are growing, evolving into a deeper understanding of who we are. On our journey toward full sanctification, God will always lead us to moments where He purifies us, where He cleanses us from our past hurts, mistakes, and the sins we never even realized were there. 

Our faith and trust in Him will grow, no matter where we are in life, because this life with Christ is about healing, purification, and transformation. It’s about a faithful Father who wants to unburden us and carry the cross for us.

So many times, we will look at an empty chair and question God, and our faith will feel without hope. The question then becomes: What are You teaching me next? Ah, it sounds simple, but it’s so difficult to do. Faith in God asks us to act with hope and trust, even when it’s hard. In those quiet moments, we learn that faith is about being honest with God, allowing Him to work in our hearts, and trusting that He will bless us after the struggle.

Don't give up,

Zelna