Friday, April 21, 2017

Faith to Play


And without faith it is impossible to please God.
Hebrews 11:6

Rachel, who'd had hearing issues for over ten years, was the recent recipient of a new set of hearing aids. Sitting down at our piano one day, she began to tap at the keys. As I listened, she began to play 'chopsticks'. The melody didn't sound quite right, yet she persisted. I thought, Either she's never had lessons, or having been mostly deaf all those years really made her tone-deaf!
Rachel continued tickling the ivory…I smiled at her persistence. After a bit, she swiped the keyboards from end to end, and then attempted to play something else I didn't recognize.
Just then, I heard Nancy, Rachel's sister, enter the room, "That song begins right here," she said, and must have been pointing to the correct keys, indicating to Rachel that the song was meant to be played in a different octave. She asked, "Why were you raking the keys a minute ago?"
Rachel's response made me chuckle, "I thought maybe if I just started going up and down the keys the Holy Spirit would take over and I would be inspired to play miraculously!"
Nancy, who'd had three years of lessons, said, "So how's that working for you?!"
Rachel responded, "Guess God has other plans than using me as a concert pianist!"
As silly as the thought may seem, Rachel hit on a spiritual truth...stepping out in faith pleases God! He loves it when His children take chances spiritually. It’s an activation of our faith, which is a prerequisite to seeing God's will accomplished in our lives. And, whether it be something that affects our lives or the life of someone else, God asks us to stretch ourselves. When we act on the belief that God can intercede if He so chooses, we are saying, "I am giving You permission to respond to my action, Holy Spirit."
We may not receive supernatural ability to play a musical instrument without ever having taken lessons, but the truth remains that God could give us the talent if it suited His purpose. So go ahead…stretch yourself and see what happens!

Prayer

“Father of the impossible, help me step out in faith so You can do things through me that wouldn't get done otherwise. In Jesus' Name, amen.”

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