Faith Tested: 1964-1966
Leviticus 17:11
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.”
I cannot imagine what you must be thinking as you read this verse of scripture. It certainly is a strange way to begin, but it testifies to the truthfulness of God’s Word. And we see that in Dad’s story of walking by faith. The context of this verse is the Levitical laws that God gave to the children of Israel. They were not to “eat of the blood” according to Leviticus 17:12.
But the phrase that I want to focus on is, “the life of the flesh is in the blood.” Without being too crude, blood was the central issue in Dad’s physical health. He had to avoid knives, sharp objects, glass, razors and so much more. Why? His physical life rested in the blood, and this would be the faith test during the years of 1964 - 1966.
James 1:2-4 tells us about the implications of testing of faith. “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” For Mom and Dad, 1964 - 1966 were years of serious faith testing. I suspect you have a year or two you can look back on and clearly see that God was calling you to trust Him deeper than you ever had before. Well, this was the case for them. Their faith would be tested unlike any other time.
It all began in March 1964 when Dad began losing blood and, once again, his life was threatened. He had a bleed in his kidneys that put him in the hospital for a lengthy stay. The Memphis Press-Scimitar ran an article about Dad on Wednesday, March 25, 1964 and quoted him, “I’m like a car with a leaky gas tank. The only way to keep it running is to put gas in as fast as it runs out.” In this case, it was 65 pints of blood over a two week period. The article went on to say, “getting through a day is like mincing along a high wire.”
In addition to this health crisis, he suffered a job loss. Not many employers can afford to keep someone employed who was sick as much as Dad. And all of this brought another opportunity for breaking the cycle of unbelief. The article appealed for donors to come to Baptist Hospital in downtown Memphis and donate blood. In time, the bleed stopped and Dad came home.
In December 1964, Dad had a serious fall and broke his hip. The medical community was convinced at that time that broken bones would be fatal for a hemophiliac. After a hospital stay, Dad was placed in a full body cast in a hospital bed at our home. The cast went from his shoulders to his ankles and that brought with it the fears and anxieties of what his physical capabilities would be like after the cast was removed. Would he be able to walk again? What mobility would he have? What would life look like after the cast? All of this brought about another opportunity for trusting and believing God by faith! Eventually the cast did come off and he was able to walk. But it was obvious that the hemophilia was impacting the joints in his legs and arms. Dad would walk with a limp that would only worsen over time.
Just about the time they rebounded from the kidney bleed, the fall and the job loss, another devastating bleed occurred. The next two years, 1965 and 1966, brought more of the same small bleeds as his leg and arm joints were deteriorating. An August 1966 article from the Memphis Press-Scimitar announced that he had received “some 200 pints of blood” in the previous two weeks. The article appealed again for donors with the request for “blood, blood and more blood.” Another article said that Dad was the only adult at that time to ever have a total blood exchange at Baptist Hospital. And once that was all over, of course it brought about another job loss. Their faith was being tested unlike any time before.
The James passage tells us that we will encounter “various trials” and that is what those years brought. Yet, in all of that, God was faithful. There is a life lesson I learned from watching Dad: God is always testing our faith to deepen it and to mature us. I suspect it will only be in heaven when our trials will subside, but for now, we are in the testing zone. So stay faithful to Him as He is faithful to you.
The truth is life really is in the blood. For Dad, that was a physical truth, just as it is for each of us. It was his daily reality. But even more importantly, spiritually, life is in the blood…that is the blood of Jesus. Hebrews 13:20 - 21 says, “Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, that is, Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Jesus made a blood sacrifice on the cross for you and for me, and with that blood sacrifice came “the eternal covenant.” There really is life - true life, eternal life and abundant life - in the blood of Jesus.
Think About It
Do you find yourself in God’s testing zone today? Do you find the temptation to take matters into your own hands believing you can do more than God can do?
Is unbelief or the lack of faith, fighting against belief, keeping you from trusting Jesus with all things? What things are hard to let go of?
Are you still holding on to sin or your own “goodness” not yielding your life to Jesus? Friend, would you consider all Jesus did for you by shedding His innocent blood for your sin? You can break the cycle of unbelief right now by yielding to Him and asking Him to save you. You can pray from your heart, or pray a prayer like the one below.
Pray
Would you pray like this, meaning it with all your heart? Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned and broken your laws. I believe you died for me Jesus, I believe You shed your innocent blood for my guilt, sin and shame. I believe you were buried and that you rose again. Jesus, I turn from my sin and trust in you alone to save me. Save me Jesus. Be my Lord and Savior!
If you already know Jesus, but you are struggling with unbelief maybe due to trials or trouble in your life, would you surrender your unbelief right now to Him? Confess to Him that you want to believe, and ask Him to help your unbelief. He will!
If you prayed to know Christ today or surrendered your unbelief, I would like to encourage you. Would you email me at david@davidsmithministry.com. I hope to hear from you.