Faith

Waiting on God

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Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord. Psalm 31:24 ESV

All throughout the Bible God promises to answer prayer, but don’t you sometimes just wish that He would do it right now? Today, I am still desperately praying for a grandson who is not only lost in sin but who is choosing to no longer speak with us. But as I brought my request rather angrily this morning to God, He reminded me that having faith means I must trust He is listening and that He is working in ways I may never understand to answer because He is good.

Waiting on God is not just waiting around till He does something. For example, on July 4th, 1776, 56 people including, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and George Washington signed the Declaration of Independence, but just signing a piece of paper was not enough to make the United States a free and sovereign land. That accomplishment did not come about until, September 3, 1783 – seven long years later. In between the Declaration and true independence, we passed through a waiting period called The Revolutionary War.

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The same is true when we wait on the Lord. Our declaration of independence from sin was signed in blood on the cross of Calvary. But the whole of our Christian life is a series of Revolutionary Wars as by God’s help we win the battles one by one. Maybe you have been praying for years over a broken relationship, salvation for a loved one or a longing to serve God in a greater way. Don’t give up, stand down or walk away from God in anger. He is working on us just as much as He is working on our prayers. He is calling us to be strong and courageous, because waiting on God is more than just waiting around and is not for the faint of heart. There is a war going on and God is calling us to the battlefield of prayer trusting that He knows what He is doing, and that victory is already ours in Jesus Christ our Savior and our great Commander in Chief!

When Life is Shaken

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The changes in our government, our way of life and our world have threatened to shake us all to the core. In light of these events especially the news from The Ukraine I was encouraged by what Pastor Rick Warren wrote today.

Everything on earth will eventually crumble—except the church. No business, school, government, or nation will last forever. Only the church will last forever, because it is built by Jesus, and he’s focused on building his family.

Jesus says in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it” (NLT).

Are you feeling shaken? God has a place of refuge for you not only in Heaven but also right here on earth. That place is a family…His family , and when we need them the most we have fellow believers to pray with us, come alongside or even just listen. Have a blessed day no matter what that day is looking like in your part of this planet. Jesus’ promises will still be standing long after every evil plan on earth has fallen!

Photographic Evidence

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Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve but believe.” John 20:27 ESV

According to the website L-Tron; photographic evidence that is admissible in court includes, “relevancy, accuracy, authenticity and originality. ” That means showing the time, date and location of the image. Some say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but my recent project has made me realize how temporary pictures are. Over the last month I have worked my way through thousands of family photographs in an effort to restore and preserve them in digital format before they are lost forever to darkening, fading and falling apart. I see the young faces of my parents and grandparents and snapshots of our children at play, and it reminds me of how quickly things change.

The Apostle Thomas had some doubts about the reliability of the eyewitness testimony of His friends. Thomas asked for something more reliable. He didn’t want just words. He demanded to be able to touch the Lord’s wounds for himself before he would believe. Maybe Thomas worried that his friends were just imagining things in their grief or that they had invented a story in order to offer false comfort. People over the ages call him “Doubting Thomas” as if he were different or that the others had never doubted. But the truth is that the only thing separating Thomas from the other guys on that room was experience. He had faithfully followed Jesus just as they had for three years. He had seen Jesus multiply bread, walk on water and wash their feet in the upper room. In fact, the only detail that separated Thomas from his friends was that he had missed being with them when Jesus first appeared.

Are you looking for something substantial to base your faith in this morning? Are you wondering like Thomas why others seem to have a vital link to the Savior, and you feel disconnected? You are in good company. Peter doubted, when he denied Jesus and again when he heard the women report they had seen the Lord. James and John doubted it was Jesus when they saw Him walking on the water and again at HIs first resurrection appearance until Jesus started eating some bread and fish! We all have our doubts, but the good news is that we have a Savior who knows our doubts, loves us anyway and comes to each of us in different ways. He may walk alongside of you while you are grieving or appear at dawn after a long sleepless night of fruitless fishing. He may look like the gardener or appear in a dream while you are in a storm. He knows that we need evidence even more reliable than even photographs. He loves us and comes to show us His wounds, when we need Him most. But Jesus also challenges us to choose to hold on to faith and to let go of doubts. We can’t hold onto both. Yes, Thomas doubted for a moment, but He spent the rest of His life believing and even dying for His Lord. Don’t give up if you find yourself struggling with your faith. Just remember that doubts are only temporary, but faith in Jesus is forever!