Light in the field of darkness

Light in the field of darkness

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NIV

Some time ago I saw a movie named The Book of Eli. The lead character (Eli) is charged by God to carry a Bible (the last Bible in existence) to an unspecified location. Eli has been carrying (and reading) the Bible for around 30 years. This movie will never make any list of Christian "must see" movies. But there is a piece of dialog that stands out. Eli is attempting to explain faith to his new friend, Solara;

Solara: You know, you say you've been walking for thirty years, right?
Eli: Right?
Solara: Have you ever thought that maybe you were lost?
Eli: Nope.
Solara: Well, how do you know that you're walking in the right direction?
Eli: I walk by faith, not by sight.
Solara: [sighs] What does that mean?
Eli: It means that you know something even if you don't know something.
Solara: That doesn't make any sense.
Eli: It doesn't have to make sense. It's faith, it's faith. It's the flower of light in the field of darkness that's giving me the strength to carry on. You understand?
Solara: Is that from your book?
Eli: No, it's, uh, Johnny Cash, Live at Folsom Prison.

I think that faith in God isn't something that human kind can stumble upon on with our own power or intellect. Or, if you ask the question of which came first, man’s desire for God or God’s desire for man, the answer is “God’s design”. Faith has been built into mankind. Or, the scripture says that God placed eternity into our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). And today's verse further explains what "eternity" is. It says that God has marked us as His own and put His spirit in our hearts. The Spirit of the Lord that resides in our hearts calls out for the Lord Himself. In other words, we begin a search for the Lord because of the seed He planted in our hearts. When there is no reason to believe in God, when there is no reason to pursue Him, it is the flower of light in the field of darkness that gives us what we need to carry on.

In my mind, having faith in Him is a gift. It is something that God has given to me so that when my plans fail, when my health fails, when money, intellect, even when my very life falls away, faith in him will not falter. Sometimes, life leaves you in such a way that faith is all that remains. And when we are left with nothing more than a tiny light of faith, we may be in the best possible position.