The Necessity of Faith

Phoebe Palmer, in her book, The Promise of the Father, reveals that faith is indispensible to experiencing the living reality of Christ's presence in our daily lives. The following is an example of "A Believing Meeting" and it really shows how to enter God's rest. Do we get it? Faith in God, confidence in Him, is necessary. The Holy Spirit declares, through the writer to the Hebrews, that by faith "the men of old obtained a testimony" (Heb. 11:2) for "without faith it is impossible to please, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Heb. 11:6). Not that God is not pleased with us if we don't have faith in Him (that's the old false condemnation that we can fall back under), but that we don't have the ability to please Him unless we have faith in Him. Our confidence in God is the arm that we use to obtain grace from Him to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16). That One who so fits the description of the glorified Lord Jesus told Daniel that "the people who know their God will display strength and take action" (Dan. 11:32). This is how we obtain a testimony: this is how God can accomplish His purposes through a human vessel. And the writer to the Hebrews declares in his rapid list of exploits that those in the "Hall of Faith" were those who "from weakness were made strong" (Hebrews 11:34). How could such a turnabout occur? Because they took with the arm of faith what was available to them (God unlimited, with all His resources) just as naturally as they reached out the arm from their bodies to take what was available to them in the physical realm. We can do likewise.

Here is Phoebe Palmer's testimony:

"We had observed to the people at the opening of the exercises about thus: We often have prayer meetings, and these surely are very important; for what should we do if we could not approach the throne of grace by prayer? We have also had, under some extraordinary circumstances, 'praise meetings,' and these also have been greatly blessed with remarkable manifestations of divine approval; but neither prayer nor praise, though most needful and pleasing to God, will take the place of FAITH, inasmuch as it is written, 'Without faith it is impossible to please God." What more proper then, than that we should have

A BELIEVING MEETING.

"Many of us, perhaps, have our sacrifice already upon the altar. At least, all is there, with the exception of that will which requires signs and wonders. Let us get that will upon the altar now, and resolve at once on taking God at his word, irrespective of emotion, or any sensible demonstration; for it is written, 'The just shall live by faith,' and to the degree we have sensible manifestations, faith is not necessary. It is faith that honors God. Abraham believed God, and his faith was counted to him for righteousness.

"Well, we had, indeed, a believing meeting. Many now brought their sacrifices to the altar, and in faith waited for the descent of the hallowing, consuming fire. But Abraham's sacrifice became the Lord's property the moment he laid it upon the altar--just as truly the Lord's, as though he had been permitted to ascend to the throne of God in heaven, and laid the sacrifice there on Heaven's altar, before the myriads of angelic beholders. 'The altar sanctifieth the gift.' The moment he laid it upon the altar it became virtually God's property. All Abraham had now to do was to watch the offering. It was just as sacredly the Lord's before it was consumed as it was afterwards. When he saw the fire descend and consume the sacrifice, faith on that point was no longer necessary. It was sight. But it is faith that honors God. And now we have reason to believe that scores resolved to take God at his word. Of course, Abraham could not have believed that his offering was accepted before it was laid on the altar. Neither could his offering have been consumed unless it had been placed on the altar. But the offering once laid on the altar, and kept there, God always does his part of the work. No danger of failure here; his name is faithful and true. Such a baptism of fire as descended on this company during the process of this believing meeting I will not attempt to describe."