Do you hope, or do you waver?

Abraham was old.  Really, really old.  His wife was almost as old, and as dry and barren as a desert.  They'd tried and tried and tried and tried to have kids.  Anyone who has ever gone through a few years of infertility and the accompanying medical intervention knows what it is like to wait and see, month after month after month, only to be disappointed.  Imagine doing that for 70 YEARS.  


No wonder they laughed.  (People often point to Sarah as a wife of little faith, as the one who laughed at the news that she would bear a son.  Abraham laughed, too.)

Genesis 17:17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
Genesis 18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”

I wonder if God laughed with pleasure as He told Abraham the name of the son who would be born in a year's time.  I'm sure He smiled.


The point of this blog post is not the laughter
                                       ...it's the FAITH we see in Abraham.  

In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.   Romans 4:18-21 ESV

In HOPE he believed against hope.  There was no hope for Abraham, humanly speaking, to have a child.  His wife was far past her time of bearing children.  She was OLD.  And dry.  And barren.


Yet NO UNBELIEF MADE HIM WAVER concerning the promise of God.


He GREW STRONG IN HIS FAITH as he gave glory to God.


He was FULLY CONVINCED that God was ABLE to do what He had promised.


How about you?  Are you wavering because of severe trials that have come into your life?  Are you shaken in your faith by the thoughtless words or deeds of another?  Has your beloved let you down, broken your heart so severely that your marriage is on the precipice of failure?  Are you facing loss - the loss of everything  for which you've laboured over the past few decades?


Are you broken, battered, bruised, and bent? Let these few poetic words from Jill Briscoe sink into your heart.

Bruised but never broken,Down but not destroyed,Battered by life's problems,Sick or unemployed:Struggling with a marriage -Rejected we might be -Bruised but never broken,His promise is for me.

Dim my wick is burning,Darkness all around:Few can see my life-light,Faith with doubt is drowned.May nail-pierced hands surround me,The breath of God breathe low -My little light flare upwardsAnd set my life aglow!

He heals the broken-hearted,He sets the prisoner free,Those desperate for forgiveness,For hope and empathy.He touches, strengthens, comforts,And turns their lives about,Bruised but never broken,Dim but never out!

~ Jill Briscoe, The Deep Place Where Nobody Goes, p.69, 70.

Amy Carmichael was a woman of great faith.  She penned the following:

If I cannot catch "the sound of noise of rain" long before the rain falls, and, going to some hilltop of the spirit, as near to my God as I can, have not faith to wait there with my face between my knees, though six times or sixty times I am told "there is nothing," till at last "There arises a little cloud out of the sea," then I know nothing of Calvary love. ~ Amy Carmichael, If, p. 16.

Christian,

• do not waver.  God keeps His promises.
• do not doubt.  God is always faithful.
• do not worry.  God is in control.
• do not ever think God does not love you.  He showed His love at Calvary.

Press on!  Wait on Him.  Stand still, and you will see the salvation of God!

Abiding in Christ - Day 12 - God Will Establish You

And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us,
(2 Corinthians 1:21 ESV)

Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary explains the word "establish".

ESTAB'LISH, v.t. [L. stabilio; Heb. to set, fix, establish.]
1. To set and fix firmly or unalterably; to settle permanently.
I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant. Gen.17.
2. To found permanently; to erect and fix or settle; as, to establish a colony or an empire.
3. To enact or decree by authority and for permanence; to ordain; to appoint; as, to establish laws, regulations, institutions, rules, ordinances, &c.
4. To settle or fix; to confirm; as, to establish a person, society or corporation, in possessions or privileges.
5. To make firm; to confirm; to ratify what has been previously set or made.
Do we then make void the law through faith?
God forbid; yea, we establish the law. Rom.3.
6. To settle or fix what is wavering, doubtful or weak; to confirm.
So were the churches established in the faith. Acts.16.
To the end he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness. l Thess.3.
7. To confirm; to fulfill; to make good. Establish thy word to thy servant. Ps.119.
8. To set up in the place of another and confirm.
Who go about to establish their own righteousness. Rom.10.

It is God alone who can establish us in Christ Jesus. We must cease from striving to establish the connection with God more firmly, and allow God to do it!

God is faithful, by Whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.~1 Corinthians 1:9

Scripture teaches us that in all God's leanings with His people, FAITH is the one condition for seeing His glorious power work in our lives.

"Faith is the ceasing from all our natural efforts and all other dependence; faith is confessed helplessness casting itself upon God's promise and claiming its fulfillment; faith is putting ourselves quietly into God's hands for Him to do His work." ~Andrew Murray, Abiding in Christ, Chapter 12

Do you have faith?

Faith ceases its own efforts and trusts.
Faith confesses helplessness and rests.
Faith puts itself into God's hands, and sees Him work.

As surely as I am in Christ, I will also, day by day, be ESTABLISHED (confirmed, settled, fixed) in Him!

God is my Good Teacher

He plans my course of study with His infinite wisdom.  He delights to have me come each day to Him for the lessons He has to give.  So, every morning, I go to my Master Teacher, surrendering to His plan for my day.  What lessons would He have me learn this day?  Will I be in the school of hardship, partaking in the sufferings of my Lord?  Will I be in the school of patience, learning to bear with others in love?  Will I be in the school of joy, transported with delight to the highest heaven to worship my God and my King?  Whatever lessons He has planned for me are perfect.  He knows His disciple - even the thoughts and intents of my heart.

I am in Christ, kept there by His power, established for His glory!  Praise God!

From Hannah Farver:

(I'll be writing more about faith tomorrow, Lord willing.  Meanwhile, read Hannah's thoughts:)

We must remember

and keep count

the promises of God;

equipping ourselves with confidence

that He owns the future

and will always be

who He always was.

“…a faith that only looks back to Christ’s death and resurrection is not sufficient… Forgiveness for the Christian also depends on having, like Abraham, a futuristic faith in God’s promises.” -Daniel Fuller

“Our confidence and trust must be in all that God Himself will be for us in the next moment, and in the next month, and in the endless ages of eternity. It is He and He alone who will satisfy the soul in the future.” -John Piper

Hard to Understand

Look around you.  What do you see?  You don't have to look very far to see injustice in this world.  Rioting in the streets of London left innocent people dead - among them an elderly man and a beloved young son.  Greediness and mismanagement has left many national economies in a shambles.  Some countries are controlled by a few outrageously rich and influential families who bribe government officials so they can maintain their power.  The price of a barrel of oil drops and is not reflected at the pumps.  The list goes on.


Worse that that, for you, could be your personal struggles.  Failed relationships, misunderstandings.  Bad communication.  A job that ended with no explanation and no warning.  A terrifying diagnosis.  A feeling of failure.  


You may ask yourself, "Why do others seem to do so well, while my life sucks?"


"I don't understand."


Job's friends insisted time and again that the wicked lived a short life full of inevitable pain and poverty.  They had a simplistic view that the wicked suffer in this world.  Job refutes that claim. (See Chapter 24)


So much wickedness and sadness goes on in the world.  The wicked are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.  Much evil happens in the night.

Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty BY HIS POWER; He gives them security, and they are supported, and His eyes are upon their ways.  They are exalted a little while, and then are gone. They are brought low and gathered up like all the others; they are cut off like the heads of grain.

Do you see?  The oppressor is being supported by the mighty power of God, who holds all things together by the Word of His power!  (Col. 1:17)


Do you see?  He is watching.  Judgment is coming!


Do you see?  The wicked will be brought low and cut off.  They'll bear no fruit.  They'll have no posterity.


Psalm 147 reminds us:


The Lord 

• gathers the outcasts 
• heals the brokenhearted
• binds their wounds
• lifts up the humble
• casts the wicked to the ground

Job didn't always understand.  He had no idea why God ordained that he should suffer so deeply.  Sometimes, he didn't even know if God was there.

Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,and backward, but I do not perceive him;on the left hand, when he is working, I do not behold Him;He turns to the right hand,but I do not see Him.

Do you see that?  Job cannot perceive God, but HE IS WORKING.

Life is confusing and difficult.  The trials we endure seem never-ending, and life is hard to understand.  But God is working!

Job continues, 

But He knows the way that I take;When He has tried me, I shall come out as gold.

Do you see?  We don't know now what God is doing, but we know He is working.  We don't understand why our path in this world leads through thorns and thistles, trials and tribulation.  But we know some day, we shall come out of the fiery furnace, purified.

Farther along, we'll know all about it.  Farther along, we'll understand why.

"Farther Along" - Josh Garrels from Josh Garrels on Vimeo.

Farther along we'll know all about it
Farther along we'll understand why
So, cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We'll understand this, all by and by

Tempted and tried, I wondered why
The good man died, the bad man thrives
And Jesus cries because he loves 'em both
We're all cast-aways in need of rope
Hangin' on by the last threads of our hope
In a house of mirrors full of smoke
Confusing illusions I've seen

Where did I go wrong, I sang along
To every chorus of the song
That the devil wrote like a piper at the gates
Leading mice and men down to their fates
But some will courageously escape
The seductive voice with a heart of faith
While walkin' the line back home

So much more to life than we've been told
It's full of beauty that will unfold
And shine like you struck gold my wayward son
That deadweight burden weighs a ton
Go down into the river and let it run
Wash away all the things you've done
Forgiveness alright

Farther along we'll know all about it
Farther along we'll understand why
So, cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We'll understand this, all by and by

Still I get hard pressed on every side
Between the rock and a compromise
Like the truth and pack of lies fightin' for my soul
And I've got no place left to go
'Cause I got changed by what I've been shown
More glory than the world has known
Keeps me ramblin' on

Skipping like a calf loosed from its stall
I'm free to love once and for all
And even when I fall I'll get back up
For the joy that overflows my cup
Heaven filled me with more than enough
Broke down my levees and my bluffs
Let the flood wash me

And one day when the sky rolls back on us
Some rejoice and the others fuss
'Cause every knee must bow and tongue confess
That the Son of God is forever blessed
His is the kingdom, we're the guests
So put your voice up to the test
Sing Lord, come soon 

Farther along we'll know all about it
Farther along we'll understand why
So, cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We'll understand this, all by and by. ~ Josh Garrels 

Where the rubber meets the road.

Yesterday I wrote about the story of Ahab and Jehoshaphat and Micaiah.  There were so many lessons in that story, but the one that jumps out at me is God's Sovereignty over the length of our days.  Whether we're thrown in prison like Micaiah was, or whether we're disguised out of fear of death, or wearing royal robes so we're the target of the enemy, we simply will not die unless it is our time, ordained by God.


NOTHING happens to us that is outside of the will of God.


I know this.


Yet this morning I forgot all about it.


My daughter Linda works at Carey Outreach Ministries three days per week.  (She loves her work - writing theological books as a ghostwriter for the Pastor.)  Anyway, the drive is long and somewhat dangerous.  She starts out with country roads that are icy and snowy this time of year, and heads into rush hour traffic for a bit of time on the 401.  I always look for the little green dot in Google chat that lets me know she arrived safely at her destination.  


This morning, the dot didn't appear.


I wasn't worried.  I prayed, committing her to the Lord, reminding myself (And HIM) that He who protected Jehoshaphat even when 32 captains were attacking can certainly protect my daughter.  I had peace for a time.


But the minutes ticked by.  Every time I walked by the computer, I check for that little green dot.  Sigh.  Not there.


I had to run out to mail something for Rick.  My stomach was in knots.  What if I missed  a call?  What if she ended up in a ditch?  What if someone called while I was out, and I missed the call?


I couldn't stand the suspense.  Picked up the phone and called Pastor Bob.


"Oh, yes, dear... Linda's here."  Relief.


She'd been working away, and didn't bother opening her email.


Silly me.  What was that I read yesterday?  God is Sovereign over the hour of our death, over every step we take, over every breath we breathe.  


How about you?  Do you read the Word to strengthen yourself, then walk away and start to worry?  Silly you.  Don't you know that God works ALL things together for good to those who love Him?


I know it.


And I was reminded today that I ought to live like I know it.  

Hebrews 11: 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and  that he rewards those who seek him.

No Fear

Jesus is fearless. 

 Mark 4:37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

I read that passage and marvel at His peace.  Jesus could sleep soundly even though the boat was being tossed by the wind and filled by the waves.  


Some people stress that the passage demonstrates the humanity of Jesus.  He was asleep because He was exhausted, after having taught the crowds that were chasing after him all day.  It's true that He suffered from the same exhaustion as we sometimes experience.  It's true that He is fully human while being fully divine.


But that's not what gets me when I read this passage.


What grips my heart is the lack of fear.


I don't care how tired I am, if I were in a boat that was foundering, with waves breaking over the sides and filling the boat with water, I'd be terrified.  I'd be crying out to God, praying for mercy, begging Him to take care of me.


Jesus didn't do that.


He knew Who was in control.


He had NO fear.  He had ALL faith.


As soon as they woke Him, He rebuked the wind and shut down the waves, then turned to the disciples and asked, "Why are you so afraid?"


Why, indeed?  You have the Lord of the Universe in the boat with you, guys.  He's completely at peace.  He's sound asleep.  If He's not afraid, what's wrong with YOU?


I marvel at the fact that I am in Christ, yet I worry.  I fret.  I fear.  I cry out to God, asking Him to intervene in my latest crisis.  I beg Him to calm the waves that threaten to break my world apart.  


I think He's still asking, "Why are you so afraid?  Have you still no faith?"


I am IN CHRIST.  His Father is my Father.  His control of the storms of life is the same now as it was then.  NOTHING is outside His power.  NEVER has He failed.  NO harm can ever come to me unless my God wills it for my good.  There is absolutely nothing to fear if you are a child of God. 


Almighty Father, Maker of Heaven and earth, 
Creator of the wind and the storms,
You control every molecule
                      every atom
                       every proton and neutron and electron
            And not one thing is outside of Your power.
So help Your children to rest in You, 
                                       to live in peace,
                                       to walk in faith and trust, 
               resting in Your strength and love,
So that the world will see that You are
                      completely trustworthy
                                         and that Your power 
        is demonstrated in our weakness strengthened by faith
In the name of Jesus, our Saviour and Brother and Friend.  Amen.

If You Believe, you are a Believer

Listen to John Piper explain it. Then stop looking at your sin as evidence that you're not saved. If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, you have life in His name.

Believe it!

Lord, I believe! Help thou mine unbelief!

I was reading the first chapter of Luke this morning. Mary believed the angel when he told her that she would conceive and bear a son, even though she had never known a man in the Biblical sense. Zechariah did not believe the angel who appeared to him to tell him that his wife Elizabeth would conceive and bear a son. Mary was blessed by her belief. Zechariah suffered being mute because of his unbelief.

Luke 1:18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

Luke 1:41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of w my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Mary was blessed by her belief.

But Zechariah was blessed, too, in spite of his unbelief. He was able to watch his beloved wife Elizabeth grow "great with child". He saw the joy in her face as her reproach was removed from among the members of the community. He didn't believe, right then, when the angel spoke...but God blessed him anyway.

It is a blessing to me to realize that even when Christians don't always agree when there are decisions to make regarding ministry, God still will bless us. Even when some believe that we should move forward, and some insist that it would not be wise, God will work the whole thing out for His own glory, and for the good of His people!

Mary believed. Zechariah did not. And God blessed both of them.

I also was reading the last chapter of 2 Corinthians. It occurred to me that if Paul's leadership was questioned, it ought not to surprise the elders and leaders of churches if their leadership is questioned. Don't be discouraged if some of the flock don't jump for joy as you announce some changes. Keep on believing that God is working; He is building His church.

Those of us with eyes of faith can see the Lord working! He will build His church...not the way WE want, maybe, but the way He has planned. Can the clay say to the Potter, where are the handles? God has given us strengths - in teaching, in missions... and He has purposely brought the exact people to each church that can be used for the greater good. He will use us for His glory! We'll be able to see, some day, why He designed it this way.

Have faith. Believe. And where your faith is weak, trust your Father anyway. He will help you. He will bless you. He will prove Himself trustworthy.

Do you believe that?