A person's faith or lack thereof is an individual decision. Not only do people have to determine how much they believe, but they must also decide in whom or in what they believe. We have all been shaped by countless events and unique experiences. Our choosing to believe or not believe has been shaped by our journey in life.

I know that a lot of people will criticise the question I have asked as the title of this post.

My question implies the existence of God. Maybe a less biased way to ask the question would be, "If God did exist, would He speak truth or would He lie?"

Promise (noun): a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.

My faith journey has lead me to point to where I can declare that God indeed keeps His promises. I personally believe that when God speaks, He speaks truth. That is my personal conviction.

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My Wife and I Were Given A Promise

Have you ever been promised something? I still remember promises I received as a child, and how I felt when those promises were fulfilled. I remember broken promises - when someone spoke but never followed through with their actions. And there have been times that I have had to wait on a promise. I hate waiting!

About 5 years ago, my wife and I had two separate encounters with God. I can't think of a better word to describe what happened. What I am talking about is NOT picking up a cell phone and talking to God. I am NOT even describing an audio voice. But there was a stirring in our souls. There was a confirmation in our hearts that we would receive a blessing that we did not currently have.

A Father Of Daughters

If you don't know yet, let me formally tell you that I am the proud father of 5 beautiful girls. We did not keep having children because we felt like something was missing in our family. My daughters are incredible blessings! And to be honest, the idea of having a son, who would disrupt the balance of our family was a bit frightening.

But during my encounter, God said that I would have a son. There was a strange mix of excitement in my heart and fear in my mind. A son? Are you sure?

Already the promise was real, but like with any promise doubt often sets in. Did I hear God right? Is this really possible?

I pondered on these things for a few days. My wife and I were sitting on our bed, and she told me that God said we would have a son someday. We had both received the same promise as separate but unified messages.

I can't even imagine how big the grin was on my face. We were excited, but when you hear something like this, you are always a bit afraid to tell others about it.

My Wife Is Pregnant

Within months my wife was pregnant. And God promised us a son, so of course, He was delivering on His promise. The routine doctor visit led to confusion. We were having a girl! We were not disappointed with having another daughter, but we were confused about what we had heard. I don't believe that God lies, but ....

Anytime you add the word "but" to the end a statement, you have to determine if you believe the statement.

We were having a crisis of faith. Does really God keep His promises? Did we hear Him correctly? If we did not hear Him correctly, why not?

Prophetic Words

A dear friend spoke words of encouragement into our lives. Ever since we had started having kiddos we planned to name our first boy Noah. Our friend knew this.

She comes up to my pregnant wife (with daughter #5) and I and said, "I believe God will give you your Noah. Did you know that Noah means rest? Just like God rested on the 7th day. God will give you child # 6 and then you will rest."

Those were bold words - like if she was wrong, she was a bold faced liar. Wow! "What are you up to God?"

Returning "Home"

Our family had lived overseas for more than 10 years. My wife and I arrived in Indonesia as a newly married couple. And over the years, our family grew and grew and grew and grew and grew.

We were back in the United States on a short trip to visit family and friends. And during the first few days of January 2017, God spoke again. Not by telephone or by phone, but with a stirring in my heart. "Let go of Indonesia!"

When God speaks we try to obey, because we believe His words are Truth. But this was hard. We left our home, our Indonesian friends (who were like family), and the only way of life our daughters truly understood. As we came back I struggled with depression and providing for my family. It was a dark time. Why would God as us to do this?

Five Is Enough

Life was crazy (and still feels that way at times). We still have off days, and we still deeply miss the lives we lived overseas. During a time of struggling, I vividly remember a conversation with my wife. We both felt that our family was complete. My wife has always had baby-fever when she sees a newborn, but even her feelings were starting to subside.

Five is enough! It is not the right time to have a baby.

Within weeks of that conversation, life would be turned upside down again. A few days passed since my wife should have had her period. A few days turned into even more days. And on a particular day, just as I got how from work, my wife pulled me into the bedroom and said, "I'm pregnant."

Shocked doesn't even begin to describe how I felt in that moment. Terrified might though. We were struggling financially and emotionally and we were going to be adding to the craziness.

Would This Be Our Boy?

We had made our plans, but God had other plans. He had promised us a boy, and the promised had not yet been fulfilled.

• Would we get our Noah and then rest?
• Can God be trusted?
• If God lies is He worthy of our faith and trust?
• Are we patient enough to wait for a promise or do we give up because years pass by?

This is my faith journey - an imperfect man trying to know and love a perfect God. I am a man who has struggled and doubted, sinned and offended, sought and pleaded. My faith has been tried and tested. At times I have waned and at the point of giving up.

And then ... God steps in and reminds me of a promise He gave my wife and me almost 5 years ago.

The Official Announcement (Coming Soon)

If you have read to the end of this post, I want to say thank you. I also want to let you know that I will be making an official announcement about the upcoming addition to our family tomorrow (pictures included).

Please stop by again and check it out.

I want to hear from you.

1. What is the object of your faith (religion, science, yourself, your family, etc)?
2. Have you ever had a moment of crisis with your faith?
3. Do you believe the same as your family or have you taken a different faith journey?

Thanks for stopping by!

@SumatraNate

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Image Source: https://pixabay.com/en/hands-open-candle-candlelight-1926414/