A scene from the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” is often used as an example of Christian faith, (I've used it myself). Near the end of the movie we see Indiana Jones standing on the edge of a deep chasm he must cross muttering, “A leap of faith”, while his father, in another part of the cave repeats, “You must believe, you must believe”. Of course, Indy takes the step into the abyss and finds that there is a “hidden” stone bridge, invisible to the human eye, which allows him to cross the chasm.
As I was praying about this article the Lord showed me that there is a distinct difference between the faith displayed in this movie and our faith as Christians. The blind faith of the movie seems like a good thing on the surface, but the problem with this kind of “faith” is that is is based on nothing. Indiana Jones' step into the abyss was not based on any certainty that God would provide, but on the hope that Indy wouldn't fall head first into the abyss. Our faith is much more than this. It is based on the certainty that we have a Father who loves us, has saved us and promises to heal us, care for us and provide for us. Our faith is based on a relationship with the real Persons of the Trinity, not on a hope that with any luck everything will turn out okay.
If we enjoy an intimate relationship with God our faith is based on Him and His faithfulness. We know that He will not fail us. We know that when He promises something it is a done deal. A love relationship with our Creator allows us to walk in our faith trusting that although we may not have seen the answer to our prayer yet, God is faithful beyond question. In Psalm 62 when David says of the Lord “He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken”, he is conveying the immovable, faithful, protective nature of our God. (Biblical writers often used images to convey truths because they carry a much greater impact than just words.)
Indiana Jones' faith to take his leap was based on desperation and a gamble. He had nothing to base his faith on; no real expectation or assurance that his faith would be rewarded. He had only the hope that somehow something would happen so he wouldn't die. Our faith is based on our relationship with the Rock, Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. Indiana's blind faith was based on head knowledge and empty hope. Our faith is based on knowing in our hearts the reality of our great God.
As Christians we should ask, “do we have blind faith based on head knowledge of God, or do we have Rock-faith based on a living intimate relationship with our Creator?” Although the distance between head and heart may only be about 14 inches, the difference is as great as Indy's chasm.
Shalom,
Pastor Jim §