Strains Of Faith

Strains of Faith

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Hebrews 11:1

In the Amish church service, the songs that are sung are the same ones that have been sung for hundreds of years. Saloma Furlong writes, “One of the ‘foresingers’ (leaders in song) announces a number, and everyone opens their black songbook (The Ausbund) to that page. The foresinger will begin the first word of the first line of the chant, and then as he begins the second word, the other men join in. The women join in with their voices and the song goes on for fifteen or twenty minutes.”

The songs are ones of joy and ones of pain. Yet strains of faith carry through the words. Here are a few lines from Ausbund 55: “The lamb is eaten with sorrow and bitter herbs, for he who will not suffer with Christ, and he who keeps himself back from eating his flesh and his blood—he who worries about the cross or tribulation—cannot find the body of Christ. The Lamb must be eaten completely. Nothing shall be left, from the beginning to the end. In all distress and need, we dare not turn away from the Lamb. We are to stay in closest unity with him, not allowing our faith in him or our love for him to grow cold.”

The faith of the Anabaptists is carried on every vocal strain. They did not know if their words would travel beyond the prison walls. They couldn’t envision a new land, a strong people, and their seeds of faith still growing and blooming.

What do you need faith for today? Faith takes the smallest hope and dares to believe. It trusts that even if you can’t see the future, God can. Ephesians 3:20 says, “All glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Because of God, the future—which belongs to Him—is more wonderful than you can believe.

Dear heavenly Father, I thank You that Your plans for me and for my future, which I can’t see, are something wonderful. Take my faith and use it, spread it, for Your glory.