Editorial September 11, 1926 Issue

Faith and Understanding

Duncan Sinclair

Faith is recognized by mankind, generally, as one of the great essentials of life. It is the cement of the home; the quality which perhaps more than any other makes honest business possible; the virtue which binds society together, and without which communities and nations would cease to exist. Faith is one of the greatest of spiritual assets; and well it is for those who seek to cultivate it.

Faith in God has been characteristic of Jewish and Christian history. Every one of the patriarchs and prophets possessed it, some of them in an extraordinary degree. And how wonderfully it served them, helping them over difficulties, delivering them from distressing conditions, healing them from disease! Faith has always been a factor in divine guidance and deliverance, because whenever it was present the law of God was free to operate, and did operate, on behalf of those whose hearts went out to the Most High for succor.

Many a reference was made to faith by Christ Jesus; and nothing is surer than that he regarded it as of paramount value. Consider but a single instance. On a certain occasion a woman of Canaan approached the Master and "cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil." The woman was so persistent in her approach that the disciples "besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us." But this the great Nazarene refused to do, answering them in the words, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Then the woman "worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me." And Jesus replied to her in these simple, yet power-laden words: "O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt." Matthew concludes the narrative by setting on record the fact that "her daughter was made whole from that very hour."

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