Big Faith

By CBM National intern, Timmy Martens – 

I was eating with a Board member who so graciously took another intern and me out to explore the region around the Ohiopyle State Park. In between bites of our salads, we exchanged stories of how God had worked in our lives and the life of CBM’s Cornerstone Ministry Center, the ministry at which I have been stationed for the pre-summer rotation as a CBM National Intern. In our discussion, somehow the topic of faith was brought up.

“It really depends on how big your God is.”

That was the sentence that got the gears in my head turning. I had heard the phrase before, but putting it into the context of Cornerstone had an impact on me. There’s something special about this place. It’s more than just the beautiful building in which I stay or the amazing staff that has connected with me so well. It almost feels as if prayer has been saturated into every corner of this property, and it’s amazing to be part of a living example of the truth that God listens to His people.

I write this with the knowledge that this is my last week of this rotation. In less than 7 days, I will be on the road again towards my next adventure. I can say that the biggest takeaway, amongst the many lessons I’ve learned from my time here, is the immensity of prayer. Every morning to start to the day, there is prayer. Usually, it takes out such a solid chunk of our time that we aren’t getting started on projects until a good hour after the workday started. Yet never have I felt like this was a burden for the staff. It almost felt like a privilege — we get to start the work day off in the presence of the Father.

The staff at Cornerstone are warriors, as evidenced not only by their actions, but stories of their actions. The relatively young campus was donated to CBM back in 2007, and it came, I believe, because of the prayers of Mrs. Judy Virgili. She was joined by many other prayer supporters, but she would walk by the fenced-in building and stop at the gate. She would then lean her head down and pray that God would bless them with that land for a camp. She wrote a letter to the previous owners of the building, and even though other individuals and companies had put bids on the property, the company chose her. They chose to donate the land to Children’s Bible Ministries. Its value? Two million dollars.

Mrs. Judy’s God was big. She understood that He could meet her needs. I realize now that as I fight anxiety on a daily basis, I have the smallest view of the Father. I’ll allow small and trivial details about the future to keep me awake at night, as I sleep in a building that is a literal miracle.

Saundra King, the Board member I was eating with, had a proper view of God when she met with a man to see if he could help the ministry. He donated an entire maintenance building. The maintenance building needed a concrete slab and garage doors, and the staff prayed for the funds. God provided a man who donated $50k worth of stock.

I want to have big faith. What I don’t want is faith that has terms and conditions, like “I trust you God, but I have a back-up plan in case You don’t provide.” I don’t want faith that makes statements like, “I know God will come through, but…” I want the kind of faith that moves mountains and moves hearts. I want Cornerstone-sized faith.

Matthew 7:11 – “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!”

Edited by: CBM National

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