"The sun’ll come out tomorrow, bet
your bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun." sings
Annie. In spite of her sorrows, she hopes for a better day. She
is the prime optimist who sees the silver lining on every cloud. People like that
are a gift to the rest of us! But, when
I talked with Bob last night, the limits of optimism were evident. The body of this young husband and father
broke down. The surgeons botched the correction, leaving him worse off. He lost
his business, and is in constant pain. There is no way he can just sing a happy
song to overcome the real problems. Mere
optimism cannot change the realities he faces today. A sunny outlook
may help Bob weather the storms a little better than others. It might help him
hang onto more friends. But, it’s just
not enough as he live with real disappointment. Optimism is built around the
potential of human will. “I can do this. I will overcome.” It’s admirable! But, faith is better.
Faith rests squarely on the Person and Promise of God.
Faith always trusts in a purposeful God. At first glance, faith looks like
optimism. Go deeper and you’ll find a
different source. Faith says, “He is working in all things to accomplish
something for the good of those who love Him!” (Romans 8:28)
We might think we are expressing faith when we make bold assertions about
what we think God will do about
situations we want changed. "God will heal me, I am sure of
it," a person claims. Is that an optimistic statement or
a declaration of faith? One cannot tell just from the words. If
it just an expression of general hope, it is mere optimism. If it
an expression of what that person believes the Spirit has whispered into his
soul, it is a statement of faith! Christians must never think that if
they say enough positive things, or if they force themselves to 'believe'
what they say with conviction, that they can obligate God to do what they want. They
are sadly mistaken, headed for a collision with reality. Faith understands that “God is God, I am not.”
Are
you wondering, "Jerry, don't you believe that prayer changes people's lives?"
I do! Both my understanding of the Bible and
my personal experience cause me to pray with faith. I experience miraculous
healing, provision for financial needs, forgiveness of my sins, and opening
of closed doors- when I pray! However, faith-filled
prayers are not those that demand that God
act in a specific way. We are urged in the Scripture to pray
boldly, to pray about anything and everything, to ask our Father for His favor.
Real faith always involves large quantities of humility,
remembering that God sees what we can’t even begin to imagine!
·
Did
Job suffer as he did because he did not pray with faith?
No! He suffered according to the will of God
for purposes that he did not know and could not grasp, and yet that faithful
man did not turn on the Lord. Yes, he questioned. Yes, he
even challenged God to explain Himself, but he quickly became humble and
confessed that God was Lord of all saying, "Though He slay me, yet
will I trust Him." (Job 13:15, NKJV)
·
Did
Paul go through hard times because he lacked faith? To suggest that is
absurd. He reminds us that the sufferings he endured actually
served to bring him to greater dependence on God! “ It was so bad we didn’t think we were
going to make it. We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all
over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened.
Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were
forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the
dead!" (2 Corinthians 1:8-9, The Message)
·
Peter
tells us "those who suffer according to God’s will should
commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good."
(1 Peter 4:19, NIV)
Do
not settle for mere optimism. Build great faith!
How? Get to know God - in prayer,
through meditation, from the pages of the Scripture, in worship. Go
beyond having a god (small 'g' intended!) that you keep around like a good
luck charm, a deity you bring out to ward off 'bad luck.' That's
the stuff of religion, the empty tradition of human based
'worship.' Give your life over to Him. Tell
Him that you are delighted simply to belong to Him, to be used by Him, to serve
His purposes. Does that sound frightening? It should, for He is an awesome (in the sense of 'fear
and trembling') God! But
He is also a good God. Faith allows us to go from good to great in
His service. Faith lets us abandon our plans and demands to discover the
adventure of being part of what God is doing. There, in His will, is
supreme joy that supersedes our situations.
Our
word from the Word reflects the very heart of faith, a totally God-focused,
surrendered, trusting life. As you read
these inspired words, ask the Spirit to breathe faith in your soul. With real faith, you can move mountains. "I fall to my knees and pray to the
Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his
glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through
his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.
Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have
the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how
high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love
of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made
complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his
mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask
or think. Glory to him in the church
and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen."
(Ephesians 3:14-21, NLT)
___________
Great Is Thy
Faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness,
O God, my Father,
There is no shadow
Of turning with Thee,
Thou changest not,
Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been,
Thou forever wilt be.
Pardon for sin
And a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence
To cheer and to guide!
Strength for today
And bright hope for tomorrow.
Blessings all mine
With ten thousand beside.
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning,
New mercies I see.
All I have needed
Thy hand hath provided,
Great is Thy faithfulness,
Lord, unto me!
Thomas Obediah
Chisholm | William Marion Runyan
© 1923. Renewed
1951 Hope Publishing Company
CCLI License #
810055
No comments:
Post a Comment