The Experiment of Faith | Faculty Commons

Mark Pritchard, Business
Central Washington University

As believers on campus we are expected to be prepared to give the reason for the hope that we have to our students and colleagues (1 Peter 3:15).

Committing my personal testimony succinctly to paper was challenging, but proved to be quite beneficial. First, I could post it on a personal website and refer folk to it when introducing myself in classes. Second, I felt a little more prepared to respond when asked about my faith.

I Was Put To The Test

I was put to the test on this not long afterward during a conference trip to Virginia. A doctor sitting next to me saw the title of a book I was reading (Ravi Zacharias’ Jesus Among other Gods). He asked what it was about, and then whether I believed the claims. The conversation bubbled along as I explained how I had come to faith. He commented that his wife, who was sitting in front of us, was a believer and that he was a skeptic. I still recall him relating that if more evidence had been a part of my testimony then he too might believe (1 Corinthians 14:25).

I didn’t fret over his disagreement, but did ponder if intellectual thinkers believe they control the experiment of faith. Some of us design our own requirements for what God must do before we will believe. Jesus captured the situation when He said our generation “plays the flute, sings a dirge” and wonders why God does not dance. But if there is a God, are we not subject to His experiment, His sign (Matt 12:40), and not our own design for what constitutes evidence?

A Holy Experiment

Our flight was landing and the conversation coming to a close when the man’s wife turned around and thanked me. Perhaps of all that had transpired, her gratitude had the greatest impact on me. Although unspoken, I knew she had been praying for her husband. It is humbling to think that our small voice of encouragement to our students, colleagues, and those we meet on the road may be the answer to a loved one’s prayer.

“If you give God the right to yourself, he will make a holy experiment out of you. God’s experiments always succeed.” Oswald Chambers

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