The Reality of Faith

When we recognize that our sufficiency is in Christ and that we can rely on His mighty power, we
can be motivated to call on Him. Psalm 18 states:
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

In the midst of our day-to-day routine, we can be conscious of the presence of the Lord, and take time, moments throughout the day, to offer up prayers to God.  We can maintain consistent communication with our Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, and experience His strength and wisdom.  He wants for His children to come to Him and has made the way possible for us to abide in Christ and to hide ourselves in Him.

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In 1st Thessalonians 5, we see some short, but powerful statements that can provide guidance for us
as we pursue our walk with Christ. We can read:
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
19 Do not quench the Spirit.

Periodically, you find Christians who will show up on reality television shows, and they will use that opportunity to share their faith in Christ, taking seriously their role as ambassadors for Him and using those moments in the spotlight to shine a light for Him.

One recent example of an expression of faith comes from the venerable television show American Idol, which has changed networks and time slots, is not the juggernaut that it used to be, but apparently draws enough audience that ABC has decided to stick with it.  The show has made an impact on Christian radio playlists across America, with artists such as Danny Gokey, Mandisa, Phil Stacey, Jasmine Murray, and others placing as finalists on the show.

Well, Faithwire reports on Samantha Diaz, who goes by "just Sam."  The article relates:

The network released a nine-minute-long story on Samantha Diaz, showing the hardships endured by the young performer.

The 20-year-old aspiring singer, who goes by “Just Sam”, was raised by her grandmother in Harlem, New York and started singing in subways when she was kid.

The piece reports that, "She said her grandmother, Elizabeth, never gave up on her and always believed in her talent..." and that she said, "I just want to give her back everything that she gave me..."

She had trouble on her audition, and was unable to perform her selected song until the three judges hugged and encouraged her.  Judge Lionel Richie said, “We’ve got you and I want you to rely on us to coach you through this. I’m so grateful that God put you in front of us..."

The article goes on to say:

Diaz tearfully thanked the judges for their patience and asked if they would pray with her.

“Can I pray with you guys, is that okay?” While holding hands, the group repeated, “Heavenly Father, Lord make my life brand new right here, right now, with my friends and my new fam, Amen.”

“Thank you, Jesus,” Diaz said. 

Faithwire reports:

On her Instagram page she wrote, “I know that at this point in my life, I’ve already made my grandmother proud. Her seeing me on TV was my dream and it finally came true after all these years. I wish that I had the words to say right now, but I just don’t. I’m currently filled with so much gratitude, joy and so much peace.”

It's not clear what sort of religious persuasion that "just Sam" has, but the fact that faith has once again made it to American Idol can be seen as a positive thing - you could say that millions tuned in to see that one incident, and in a time when the entertainment industry as a whole presents a worldview that is contradictory to a Christian perspective, it is refreshing to see a simple expression of faith.

Oh, by the way, the Movieguide Awards, honoring faith and family-friendly movies and television programming, were presented last month, in partnership with the Hallmark Channel.  The 28th annual awards will be shown on Hallmark Drama on Monday night, February 24 at 10:00pm Central Time.

This moment on American Idol can be a good example for us when we face challenges.  So often, we can internalize or attempt to solve our problems on our own.  God wants us to bring our burdens and dilemmas to Him, so that we can discover His power and direction.  We can take a moment or even a season to pray about our concerns and make prayer a priority.

Finally, we can recognize the talent given by God and use it.  God intends for the giftedness we have to be used for His glory.