via TJC
“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in His name. ~John 20:31
I always enjoy watching the Service Academy football rivalry games. As I was watching this year’s Air Force vs. Navy game I was reminded of my own Cadet days, and I remembered how those days almost didn’t happen.
About a month before I got my appointment, I got a call from my Academy recruiting officer, saying there was a problem with my physical and that I needed to contact the DoD medical office—suddenly, it did not look like I was medically cleared for the Academy. We called, and they explained I would not be able to enter the Academy due to a recent diagnosis in my record. We asked them to reconsider and whether I could take another physical. I told them, yes, I am aware of the diagnosis, but it’s not as bad as it sounds—I was the captain of my varsity team and All-Conference athlete after all.
They said, “Sorry,” and hung up. I told my mom what had just happened. All of my dreams, everything I had worked for, my life, was going down the drain. She said, “Let’s pray it’s God’s will for a door to open.”
I said, “No! Don’t pray for that! This is important. I want this. I don’t want to pray for God’s will anymore.” (Long story, but years before, we prayed for God’s will in something, and I didn’t get the outcome I wanted. Evidence).
Mom asked, “But don’t you want to be in God’s will?” (I was slow to answer), then she said “Believe.”
She prayed and then we called back. She spoke to one of the DoD doctors. They said, “Ma’am, I’ll be honest, based on the diagnosis it doesn’t look good. But we’ll take another look.” About an hour or so later the same doctor called back. “Congratulations, he is cleared.”
About 30 minutes later, my Academy recruiter called and said, “What happened? They told me that he is cleared. I have never seen a decision reversed.”
We told him the only thing that happened since we spoke to him was that we prayed.
When all of the phone calls were over my mom and I hugged, kissed, and cried. We shouted praise and called the rest of our family to tell them what just happened. All of the evidence said one thing, but in this season, God wanted me to learn the power of Belief.
Daily Battle Order:
How do you balance evidence and faith? Is it something you struggle with? Today, think of an example of how God has reached you through evidence and through faith. Have you shared those stories? Share them today so some may know Jesus the Messiah and have life.
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