"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
How is your faith? How do you measure or assess your faith?
My faith is rather weak. I'm content to live by faith for a few minutes or even a few days, but when the test of faith lasts or things don't seem to work out the way I expect, I begin to question what God is doing and I begin to worry and stress. We are missionaries with a faith-based ministry; and I should be the first to place my trust in the Lord's provision. We've seen Him work in amazing ways throughout the world and in our own lives; we know God is trustworthy and good, but I'll be honest, while I love to see how God works, it can be a very scary place to be at times. I know I can trust the Lord and He has a perfect plan for us, but I admit I feel much more comfortable when there are few unknowns.
Today the pressures and fears of the unknown began to press in and create that nagging sense of doubt and uncertainty, but in spite of my weak faith, the Lord strengthened my faith today through my time in His Word and His impeccable timing.
We received two gifts today - one in the form of an encouraging e-mail and the other in a box we received from our church in the States (THANK YOU WEBC! We loved it!) The e-mail came literally right after I was sharing with John about how scared and discouraged I felt (Praise the Lord!) and the box about 15 min. later! It was so exciting to sift through our box and read the encouraging words of our friends, see the cans of pumpkin and flavored creamer, and be blessed by gifts both to our coming baby and Tanner that reminded us of the support, prayers, and love from the body of Christ. Tears filled my eyes as I realized God knew what I needed in spite of my lack of faith.
Then His Word - you know how there are days when you just know God leads you to certain passages just to remind you of where your focus and confidence should be. His Word was another gift today...
Hab. 3:17-18 - "Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines. Though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, YET I WILL EXALT IN THE LORD, I WILL REJOICE IN THE GOD OF MY SALVATION."
Ps. 46:1-3 - "GOD IS OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH, A VERY PRESENT HELP IN TROUBLE. Therefore we will not fear though the mountains slip into the heart of the seas, though the waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake of its swelling pride."
James 5:7-11 - "Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. 9 Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 10 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
A couple of thoughts - My initial thought was shame at all of my doubt in light of God's goodness in my life and the real suffering that people endure in the persecuted church, poverty, illnesses - things that are much more difficult than anything I am facing. But, I also know I needed to be reminded again and reflect on God's truth.
If everything were taken away from us, I mean EVERYTHING, would we stand with Habakkuk and say, Yet I will exalt in the Lord?
God IS an ever present help and our refuge and strength - God ALONE! Do I trust that and cling to that?
Notice James' many references to patience! We are to be patient and have confidence that God is compassionate and merciful ALL the time! How is my patience?
And finally - Praise God that in spite of my lack of faith, doubts, and fears, He gives His peace and encouragement through His Word, prayers, e-mails, and boxes!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
A book Darcy and I are working on together that has her memorizing scripture reminds me of these verses as well. The verse for today was Psalm 118:1--"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!" the lesson accompanying it went on to talk about how God is ALWAYS good and he is also sovereign. How comforting to know that he is in control. Even of little things like your package arriving when it did. I had honestly wanted to get it in the mail much sooner than we did, but things kept preventing me from doing so. The Lord knew when it would be the most comfort to you, so now I am glad those things held me up! We were hoping you would get it before Thanksgiving and are so glad it was an encouragement. We love y'all and are praying for you. Now go make some pumpkin pie, girl and then have a piece of it with your now flavored coffee!
ReplyDeleteYou quoted my favorite passages, Shannon! Habakkah has become my favorite book in the Bible because it is so relevant in practical living. We can stand firm in the face of the storm! We can even have our spirits soar in difficulties, but how would we know this if things went smooth? I just got out of Bible study and we were sharing about what it means to struggle with our natural self and how can we live trusting God. My friend Alice puts me to shame. She is constantly talking to the Lord about every day stuff. While attending the big Grace Christian leadership conference in Manila over the weekend, she stayed with a friend and had to catch a taxi back to the meetings. As she walked out, (at 70 she is having difficulty with her hip and knees) she says, "Lord, do I have to walk the two blocks to Commonwealth Avenue like I did yesterday or could you possibly arrange a taxi to come by, as you know, my leg is talking to me." As she utters this prayer, a taxi zooms around the corner, and it was not only a taxi, but a man who knew all the back streets, was an excellent driver, and she was able to share the gospel! God hears and He answers our prayers!
ReplyDelete