Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrew 11:1).
I think (maybe) too much about faith and Substance. One Truth I never ignore is that God is the only true Substance there is, and I am permanently a part of this Truth. I cannot ignore my feeling that this substance directs my heart to prayer every morning I arise to face God’s re-created world. I am faith, but it is more realistic and more relevant that I say that I am more than faith; I am trust.
I meditate often and at times (most of the time) I over-think what I should just accept. Maybe this is because I am so used to requiring my college students to do so. I put my complete trust in God. There is no doubt in my mind that I am His child and therefore a perfect creation. But as with many people before me, I discover that there is a void within me that requires something more.
What digs as me constantly is my need to live a life of prayer. It is God’s desire for me to do so for a life without prayer leads to an unending void. God is not a specter that appears and disappears in my mind’s vision. God is. . . God is a true Substance. My need to pray comes from my soul, and my soul is my heart, and my heart belongs to God. How can I not live a life of prayer for the issue of prayer is not me; the issue of prayer is God. This is when He speaks to me. This is where and when my heart legitimizes the fact that I trust.
The knowledge and trust that comes from the substance of God within me, of the Holy Spirit within me, comes from the fact that living a life of prayer enables me to live the life that Jesus exemplified, a life of Wisdom, a life of prayer, and a life of humility. This is faith; this is substance.
©Russell Kendall Carter
Meditating to Heal 