In faith, God does not desire for us to pursue only that which satisfies our personal desires, nor to focus solely on His wonderful abilities or miraculous experiences. God has mercy on us and understands our weaknesses, so He grants us special experiences to strengthen our faith in Him. We may taste the grace of the Lord to varying extents and have particularly deep experiences of the Lord. However, God does not wish for us to merely seek emotional experiences. He fears we may distort the meaning behind these experiences, whose original purpose is to strengthen our faith and help us identify with the Lord Jesus Christ.
If we believe that God only reveals Himself through experience and ignore that God is present in His Word, as found in the Bible, this is not what God desires. Many brothers and sisters may recall that when they first believed in the Lord, they felt very close to God, experiencing profound joy and peace. Yet, after a few years, these feelings may diminish, and faith can become like a tasteless morsel—unappealing to eat yet a pity to discard. Returning to church may become a habit; even if we persist in praying and reading the Bible, it may feel routine. We might long for a unique spiritual experience or a special feeling, but God does not intend to sustain our trust in Him through mere experiences or feelings, akin to ‘IV saline infusion’ for patients. He wants us to grow spiritually through the words of the Bible. As one of the lyrics of the hymn “Himself” written by Dr. A. B. Simpson, the founder of C&MA, states, ” Once it was the feeling, now it is His Word,” faith should never be based solely on experience and feelings, but on Jesus Himself and His Word.
Brothers and sisters, even when we listen to sermons, which are derived from the words of the Bible, sometimes our ears naturally prefer humorous and engaging messages. For sermons that are dull and lack captivating stories, we might turn off our ears or slumber because they do not entertain us. However, the Word of God does not need to be wrapped in beautiful words. As long as it conveys the truth of the Bible, the Holy Spirit can help us through any proclaimed word. With a humble heart, many times, when the listener is unaware, the speaker’s words based on the Word of God penetrate deeply into our hearts. Although there may be no immediate excitement, the Word of God works within and has a profound effect.
Hopefully, our faith will not be limited to feelings but will be grounded in the words of the Bible.
Rev Chiu