Matthew and I love to wander through the used bookstore. There used to be one minutes from our house, but it shut down a few years ago and now the only other location is about thirty minutes away which we visit occasionally. We can always find some kind of hidden treasure within the shelves whenever we go and this last visit was no exception. I’m quite certain we might have just found a real treasure 😊
I have read through a lot of little devotional books over the years. You know those daily ones that take about 3 minutes to read and give you a bit of encouragement to get through the day. They are delightful but typically do have a lot of meat to them. I haven’t bought one in a really long time for that reason. But on this last visit to our little bookstore, I stumbled across two books: 40 Days of Faith and 40 Days of Grace by Paul David Tripp. There were two brand new copies of both on the shelf so I grabbed them both and thought why not.
Last week, I started reading. The daily reading is simple and short but the depth of what is found inside has been truly profound. I started with the 40 Days of Faith. Mainly because I know that is where my heart is most troubled and needs the most work. My prayer for the last few years has been, “I believe. Help my unbelief” and it has been a process to say the least.
Day 1 in this little book didn’t hold back and packed a punch right to the gut. One I really needed and it started with these simple words:
It is vital to know that faith is not just an action of your brain; it’s an investment of your life. Faith is not just something you think: it’s something you live.
Here’s the thing. That isn’t some profound truth/statement that I’ve never heard before. However, it is a truth/statement made in a way that I haven’t thought about before. And each day since has been filled with the same great insight, just like the first. I’m left convicted, encouraged and excited each day about what could be ahead. The possibilities that could be in front of me. The movement that could take place if I would just trust and have the faith I once held to so dearly to let go and believe.
I am still a work in progress. A person with a lot of trust issues still working through all those issues. But I don’t believe for a second that this random little book fell in my lap. I DO believe that God cares enough about me and loves me more than I realize to put that book in just the right place so that He can do that work of answering my prayer of helping my unbelief 😉
Faith Renewed 