Faith

Art Katz writes on page 78 of Apostolic Foundations: '...now is not now except in the light of that which comes after.' 

He is referring to the promises which will be fulfilled when Christ returns. In the world's view, 'now' is the direct consequence of what has come chronologically before, and modern science maintains that the present is the key to the past. From this new standpoint, however, the present would have no purpose to be, except that it be fulfilled. 'Now' would not be if there were not an 'after' to give it purpose; indeed all purposes which have ever been enacted in time will be judged on the day of judgement. Therefore all purposes should be considered only in the light of that coming day. Every good and bad motivation which has ever been played out in the universe will be brought to its rightful fulfillment on that day. Therefore the purpose, and ultimate reality of the present is bound up in that specific point of the future, and without each other, neither would exist.

The still point of the turning world is not a place which exists in the middle of this planet - a particle of matter that spins in a fixed place rather than moving in revolution around the middle axis. It is a theoretical point in space, always too perfect and precise to be occupied by any atom of matter, no matter how small.  However, faith in, and understanding of that theoretical, perfect still point is required before the imperfect particles surrounding it can come into being, as otherwise they would have nothing around which to organize themselves. This is why faith precedes substance. This is why the unseen is more real than the seen. What is seen is only that which has been built upon the foundation of unseen realities, and if those unseen realities departed, there would be found no place for the physical things. That is why, when in John's vision in Revelation 20:11 Christ returned to bring in a new heaven and earth, "...the earth and heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them."

At this point, at the end of history, the unseen realities underlying this world will change, to be replaced by a new world, and the old will no longer have any basis to exist.

It is like when a shadow is cast. In order for the shadow to exist, there must be a physical body to define it. The shadow has no substance of its own, but must appear or disappear depending on the light of its environment, and the movement of the form which is casting it. We often think of faith as the shadow - the ephemeral thing that accompanies us, and is affected by the lightness or darkness of our lives. But faith is the real reality. Faith is the physical, substantial form which makes the shadow possible, and if the placement of the form moves, the shadow must also move. The rational reason why a mountain will move when it is commanded in faith is that the shadow does not have the authority to operate apart from that which creates it. This is the basis for miracles. Jesus said that he who asks receives. Because if we ask in faith, we redefine physical reality. The dead are raised, limbs grow back, souls are regenerated - because we live in a corrupted shadow-world, but God has granted us access into the real world. We have eternal life, even now. We are citizens of heaven. We live in a reality that transcends the stuff of earth that surrounds us.

Hebrews 11:1 

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is not a fleeting human conjurance, or even a human idea; it is the very evidence and substance of the things that will come into being through it. The substance of things to come owe their existence to faith, and the faith owes its existence to that which will follow, and fulfill it. That is why when one prays in faith, one does not simply ask anything of God, and expect that He will provide it. The prayer of faith apprehends the thing that God wants to do, and indeed will do, and this Purpose alone is what is prayed for. The prayer of faith becomes possible when one is truly dead and hidden with Christ in God. 

Colossians 3:1-4

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

This passage bespeaks a place of faith, existence and prayer that is totally encapsulated in the real world; not coloured by our own ambitions or subjective desires. "...Christ, who is your life..." There is nothing else except Christ that defines the life of one who lives by faith. And thus, there is nothing except the Purpose of Christ to define the prayer of one who prays in faith. Oswald Chambers, in addressing the command to "pray without ceasing" gave this radical definition of prayer: "Prayer is the breath in our lungs, and the blood from our hearts."

In order to live with such radical prayer, one must live with equally radical faith.

I believe that God waits for us to pray before He acts. He could certainly go ahead and accomplish what He knows is best, but He suffers His Purposes to be carried out through the prayers of His saints, because He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants to teach us to be like Him not solely through the example of His works, but through union in the accomplishment of those works. And that union is only birthed in a place of faith where the unseen is understood to be the foundation of the seen.