Faith and Good Sense

Not everyone realizes this, but true faith in God goes hand in hand with good common sense in those who possess it. I remember an instance where a brother in the Lord was driving a company car for a good while without working turning signals. When I had to drive the car on a day he was off, it was a bad feeling. I asked him the next day why he hadn’t gotten the turn signals fixed, and he said that he was just “trusting the Lord” for his safety every day. That puzzled me, because in my mind keeping lawful safety features on the car in working order was part of trusting the Lord for safety. Proverbs 21:31 tells us, “The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.” So yes safety is certainly of the Lord, but it would be unwise and against faith in God to not prepare your horse for the battle. And Psalms 127:1 says, “except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” Amen, no argument here that God alone is the source of our safety, but again it would be against faith in God to not have a watchman. We shouldn’t lock our doors at night with fear and anxiety, but we should lock our doors! To do so is not against faith. God expects and requires us to do what we are able to do, and trust him in peace for the results.

Another error that some born again believers have fallen into from time to time is not allowing for medical help for physical infirmities that we may experience. I believe in miraculous divine healing for the body, and would rather not have to deal with doctors or hospitals at all. And I certainly believe that faith and prayer should be our first, second, and last line of defence against sickness and injury. And God be thanked, many times that’s all that’s needed! But sometimes for whatever reason, we need medical attention, and should promptly get it; again trusting God for the results. Healing is indeed of the Lord, but we should do what we can do to help our situation. Obviously if from our heart we are looking to the doctors for the results, then we are indeed erring from faith. This is what the ancient king Asa of Judah was guilty of doing (II Chron. 16:12). All of the great men of God who were prominent in the post WW II healing revival were supportive of believers receiving medical attention, and for the most part said that the cases that came to them were those that were beyond medical help. The apostle Paul probably had more power with God than anyone else in history, and he counseled his beloved son Timothy to “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities" (I Tim. 5:23). We could go on to other kinds of things where this understanding can be applied, but I feel the point is made. Whether it be safety, healing, or anything else that we need; good sense works together with faith in God for the best results in all things in life. Amen and God bless.