Driving somewhere unfamiliar recently, we decided to use GPS on my phone. We followed the verbal directions, making necessary lane changes just as instructed, but suddenly heard an unexpected change in our guide’s vocal infection. At a key intersection, the voice said, “Turn right?” as if she were suddenly unsure!
How much confidence would you place in a guide whose sentences ended with a question mark instead of a period?
We have a son in the military, where soldiers are trained to answer questions and follow orders. Can you imagine battle situations where the officer’s commands all ended with a question mark?
“Circle their left flank?”
“Charge?”
“Ready, aim, fire?”
“Launch torpedoes?”
“Full speed ahead?”
Paul wrote about the importance of audible distinctions. He explained, If the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? (1 Corinthians 14:8). Hearing an unclear directive, the followers would just look up and say “Huh??” That is not the path to victory.
We laughed in the car when the voice coming from my phone seemed to lose her certainty about our turns. But sometimes, especially regarding our faith, certainty matters.
In Acts 19, we read the story of the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish priest. Having admired Paul’s spiritual exploits, they thought they’d do a little exorcism of their own. Approaching a man possessed by an evil spirit, they commanded, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Their target was likely scary-looking—dirty, unkempt hair, a beard gone wild, bad breath, and bloodshot eyes. One can imagine some trepidation in their voices, maybe even a little squeak. Perhaps one brother stood at a safe distance in the shadows, muttering under his breath, “Sure hope this works!” Well, the demon snarled back in a mocking tone, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the possessed man leapt upon them, beat up all seven brothers, and they fled naked and wounded.
Those brothers were name droppers without authority. They had a formula but lacked the active ingredient. Lacking true faith in Jesus, they could not command the devil like one in confident possession of greater power. They knew it, and the devil knew it.
We read that Abraham was fully persuaded of God’s promise despite all appearances to the contrary. Paul was convinced nothing could separate him from the love of God, and he wrote Timothy that he knew the One he believed and was persuaded God was able to keep all he’d entrusted to Him. (Romans 4:21, Romans 8:38-39, 2 Timothy 1:12). It showed in Paul’s voice and in the way he wrote. We read in Psalm 119:89, Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. If it’s settled there, should it not be firm in our hearts? Yet many of us who call ourselves believers run around un-settled, our sentences punctuated with more question marks than anything else.
Let’s instead quote Jesus to ourselves, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22). Then we’ll be able to end our statements in a way that shows we believe what we say—with a period.
