Keep the Faith! It’s a great line and an even better choice
for life. We have all heard enough bad
news in the last couple of weeks to last a lifetime. Are you going to just camp
in the awful, hang onto the dread, rehearse the losses? Don’t do it. Christ
Jesus invites us to be led by our Great Shepherd giving us reason for hope no matter what is happening around us, to
us, or inside of us.
Yesterday, at Faith Discovery Church, I joined 5 other
people, average age about 65, who spent the afternoon distributing food from
our church pantry. (We were wise, practicing good social distancing.) What joy
I discovered in giving supplies and a hearty “God bless and keep you” to those
45 families that showed up. I found further joy in remembering that effort was
possible because of dozens of others who give, support, serve, and pray to keep
hope alive and faith evident in our church.
I want to urge you to FOCUS upwards and outwards today- with
hope formed in FAITH. Habakkuk, the preacher who was a contemporary of
Jeremiah, living in Jerusalem about 600 years before the time of Jesus, wrote
about living by faith. He pondered the question of fairness and God’s
will. He was inspired to leave us a little book that shines bright for us with
a message capsulated in this passage - "the righteous will
live by his faith— the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth
be silent before him.” (Habakkuk 2:4,20, NIV)
Listen to his aching heart and let the words become your cry
in this season. "How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not
listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save."
(Habakkuk 1:2, NLT) Living in faith is not easy and it never has been!
He continues his prayer for understanding this way. "God, you’re
from eternity, aren’t you? Holy God, we aren’t going to die, are we? God, you
chose Babylonians for your judgment work? Rock-Solid God, you gave them the job
of discipline? But you can’t be serious! You can’t condone evil! So why don’t
you do something about this? Why are you silent now? This outrage! Evil men
swallow up the righteous and you stand around and watch!" (Habakkuk
1:12-13, The Message) I feel his emotions, don’t you?
But, Habakkuk moved beyond that place to rest in FAITH and
to LOOK UP. He surrendered himself to
God. Don’t read that to mean that we should
throw in the towel and walk away from the fight! Faith leads us to acceptance of God’s will and to hope that is
anchored securely on His assurance that justice will be done. This is
the declaration that is the anchor of our faith. "Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter
what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is
what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive
all that he has promised. “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come
and not delay. And a righteous person will live by faith. . . . we are not like those who turn their backs
on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation."
(Hebrews 10:35-39, NLT)
My late father often reminded me of the importance of
faithfulness with this homely little phrase – “Remember, son, God’s payday
is not necessarily this Friday.” Both reward and judgment are sometimes
out of sight in our limited line of vision, but they are assured by the
eternal purpose and promise of our Father!
Habakkuk sums up his faith walk in the words that reflect
our earnest hope to see things made right and our determination to wait on the
Lord.
Take this word from the Word today to heart and pray for
faith to grow strong, faith that stabilizes you, that keeps you serving,
loving, and looking for the Kingdom to come.
O Lord, I have
heard Your speech and was afraid;
O Lord, revive
Your work in the midst of the years!
In the midst
of the years make it known;
In wrath remember mercy.
Though the fig
tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be
on the vines;
Though the
labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields
yield no food;
Though the
flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be
no herd in the stalls—
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.
Habakkuk 3:2; 17-19 (NKJV)
_______________
(actual song begins 2 minutes in
CeCe Winans will blow you away)
Blessed assurance Jesus is mine
O what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation purchase of God
Born of His Spirit washed in His blood
Perfect submission perfect delight
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy whispers of love
Perfect submission all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blest
Watching and waiting looking above
Filled with His goodness lost in His love
This is my story this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
Fanny Jane Crosby | Phoebe Palmer Knapp
© Words: Public Domain
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