1 Samuel 17: 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them because he has defied the armies of the living God.
Faith is a journey. A journey begins at a point and has a destination. This means that in between the starting point and the destination which is the ending point, there are a series of different things that can happen. The things that happen can either be a way to distract you from the destination or push you even further to the destination. And of course, because we live in a world of sin and evil, evil usually wants to override us in this process of journeying to the destination God has for us.
This introduces the theme of this excerpt: Album of Faith. What is an album? An album can be where pictures are kept to save memories of the past. An album could also be the name for a collection of recordings, usually songs issued as a single item. These two meanings give one idea that can be coined into different expressions: Remembrance, memories, storage, keeping for future reference, reminder, reminiscence, and recollection.
So an album of faith is basically, in my own words, a collection of acts of faith in one’s journey with God that can become a reference for the future.
There is a place God wants you to be, a person God wants you to become but to get to that destination, you must have stories and memories along this journey that can keep you moving.
With this understanding, the opening scripture will make sense to you. David when he was about to face Goliath mentioned that because he had fought a bear and a lion when he was taking care of the sheep, he would also be able to fight Goliath. There was a destination God had for David – to be a king over God’s people. However, before he could get to that destination, he needed to have had memories and experiences of conquest and victory while leading sheep. The sheep were just a means to the end God had for him. If David had despised those moments by saying that taking care of sheep was demeaning, he wouldn’t have garnered the experience of fighting enemies who came for his sheep. Apparently, taking care of sheep was the training ground for what David was going to do in the years ahead. And in the end, David never lost any battle while he was king.
What does this teach us? In our walk with God, we need to have moments where we had certain encounters with God and memories of times when God helped us conquer tough situations. These experiences are meant to be stored for future reference because there is a greater assignment ahead that will require deep convictions so we can stand the test of time. This is why going through the process is important. The one who comes out half-baked in God’s process wouldn’t be able to stand when greater assignments are at stake.
An album of faith is a cumulation of one’s experiences with God that serve as a reference for the future.
Some people made something of their lives with bad experiences they had in the past and in the same vein, others who had the same bad experience became worse. What’s the difference? It’s perspective. Understanding that all things, whether bad or good can become a tool that leads a person to the expected end that Jeremiah 29:11 speaks about. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
The Word In Clarity 