Show Me Your Faith, and I'll Show You My Faithfulness
It's easy to enjoy God, to sing His praises, when we are on the mountaintops, but we really get the opportunity to know Him intimately when we are in the valley.
How often we find ourselves in a season of heartache, of failure, or emptiness and start to feel furthest from God. I truly think we are likely closer to Him than we're willing to acknowledge, but Satan is going to use every negative thought or emotion to play it against us. It interesting because we, as Christians, know the promises of God, yet we find ourselves in this place of desperation time after time. Perhaps we need to train ourselves in these very moments to stop questioning where God is and start preparing for what's next. As if God is waiting for us to show Him our faith so He can show us His faithfulness. Scripture is quite clear - God longs for us to come to Him -- Seek the Lord and you will find him, draw near and He will draw near...
I think we can all agree it would be illogical for a farmer to wake up one day expecting a harvest when he has not planted seed or tended to his crop. Isn't it funny though that we often are frustrated with God about our present situations, accusing him for not producing the fruit, but if we are honest, have we really planted any seed? Have we tended to our crop and are we living each day in faith that He is faithful?
As I get older, I have begun to realize the importance of not only my words, but my thoughts. It's crazy how often we say things that are so negative, so depressing and then for whatever reason we are shocked when the words we have spoken become truth. I challenge you to begin to train your mind and your mouth to speak things of hope, of joy, and of fulfillment. That your thoughts stop being consumed by all of the things that could have been or the many things that aren't and start to focus on the blessings in your life and the promises of Jesus. I would come to imagine your problems will start to feel much smaller and your blessings will be abundant. It might seem silly, but it has been life changing for me - for someone who has lived much of my life depressed and miserable.
My prayer is for those feeling far from God. That you may find hope in God's truth and His promises.That you can take the time to seek Him and truly know Him. That instead of viewing this as a dry season you can see it as a a season of preparation. I once heard a pastor compare it to being in a dry desert with nothing to do and no where to go and God is just waiting for you to dig your dry and empty hole so he can fill it with water - after all, he is a God of provision.
I say this knowing how difficult it is in the midst of hardship to separate myself from my situation and put things into eternal perspective, but I really do think there is so much beauty in these times. Our struggles and are brokenness are definitely the places where we can really know the depth of God - not only who He is but who we are in Him. Step back and try to ground yourself in the concept of eternity. Remember you are victorious and nothing can separate you from the love of your Father.
How often we find ourselves in a season of heartache, of failure, or emptiness and start to feel furthest from God. I truly think we are likely closer to Him than we're willing to acknowledge, but Satan is going to use every negative thought or emotion to play it against us. It interesting because we, as Christians, know the promises of God, yet we find ourselves in this place of desperation time after time. Perhaps we need to train ourselves in these very moments to stop questioning where God is and start preparing for what's next. As if God is waiting for us to show Him our faith so He can show us His faithfulness. Scripture is quite clear - God longs for us to come to Him -- Seek the Lord and you will find him, draw near and He will draw near...
I think we can all agree it would be illogical for a farmer to wake up one day expecting a harvest when he has not planted seed or tended to his crop. Isn't it funny though that we often are frustrated with God about our present situations, accusing him for not producing the fruit, but if we are honest, have we really planted any seed? Have we tended to our crop and are we living each day in faith that He is faithful?
As I get older, I have begun to realize the importance of not only my words, but my thoughts. It's crazy how often we say things that are so negative, so depressing and then for whatever reason we are shocked when the words we have spoken become truth. I challenge you to begin to train your mind and your mouth to speak things of hope, of joy, and of fulfillment. That your thoughts stop being consumed by all of the things that could have been or the many things that aren't and start to focus on the blessings in your life and the promises of Jesus. I would come to imagine your problems will start to feel much smaller and your blessings will be abundant. It might seem silly, but it has been life changing for me - for someone who has lived much of my life depressed and miserable.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
My prayer is for those feeling far from God. That you may find hope in God's truth and His promises.That you can take the time to seek Him and truly know Him. That instead of viewing this as a dry season you can see it as a a season of preparation. I once heard a pastor compare it to being in a dry desert with nothing to do and no where to go and God is just waiting for you to dig your dry and empty hole so he can fill it with water - after all, he is a God of provision.
I say this knowing how difficult it is in the midst of hardship to separate myself from my situation and put things into eternal perspective, but I really do think there is so much beauty in these times. Our struggles and are brokenness are definitely the places where we can really know the depth of God - not only who He is but who we are in Him. Step back and try to ground yourself in the concept of eternity. Remember you are victorious and nothing can separate you from the love of your Father.
So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into “the Holy Place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is his body. So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. Hebrews 10:19-25 (The Message)
“Everybody wants to be on the mountaintop, but if you'll remember, mountaintops are rocky and cold. There is no growth on the top of a mountain. Sure, the view is great, but what's a view for? A view just gives us a glimpse of our next destination-our next target. But to hit that target, we must come off the mountain, go through the valley, and begin to climb the next slope. It is in the valley that we slog through the lush grass and rich soil, learning and becoming what enables us to summit life's next peak.”
Andy Andrews, The Noticer
Comments
Post a Comment