Monday, January 12, 2009
Week 3 (Jan 12th - Jan 18th)
Hey everyone. I know I've been really encouraged by all the comments you guys have left, and I hope you have too. Everyone, please feel free to post anything you want, it doesn't necessarily have to be related to other comments. The more insight, questions, and comments the better!
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True faith. It is extremely difficult as a father of four (three boys) to read Genesis 22 without being overcome with emotion. Abraham was "fully committed" to sacrificing his beloved son Isaac before God intervened. I can't fathom what that kind of faith feels like but I know it requires total trust.
ReplyDeleteCan we really know what faith is in a culture that is so often void of the physical, emotional and material poverty that allows God to move in our lives?
In Chihuahua, a devoted School Master told of us of a mother who had come to her earlier in the day with no ability to feed her family of four. With no provision and no hope, she asked the School Master for help. They responded with prayer and petition to God. Later that day we randomly raffled off a big box of food as an "extra prize" for one of the kids. There were 50 names in the hat and we drew the name "Raul". Immediately tears streamed from the same mother that has just prayed with the School Master - her little boy was drawn from the hat and they would have enough food for a few days. We were completely unaware until the School Master told us the story. We were awestruck - God showed us what true faith looks like and how he will never forsake those who believe.
This is a story of provision. God will provide, just as he provided the "ram in the thicket" for Abraham. Trust and obey.
I feel very similar to what Scott has just wrote. I was reading this morning in Matthew about all the miracles that Christ performed to those around him. The faith that heals paralyzed, blind, dead, and mute. I want that faith. I want a faith that is described about in Matthew. I want to just touch the cloak or say the words and know that Christ is faithful and just in everything.
ReplyDeleteAlso in Matthew I really love the picture of Jesus having dinner at Matthew's house with tax collectors and sinners. I really enjoy picturing the questioning pharisees in regards to why "Our Teacher" is eating with these people. This challenges me to remove myself from my comfort of Christian groups and to truly serve those who are not following Christ with their lives. Do you feel that at times us as Christians find a comfort spot that is only surrounded by believers and never non-believers? I feel that I can easily lose site of this. My weeks will sometimes be full of hanging out with friends but all of them know the Lord. I want to venture from constant Christian hangout and serve and live as Christ did in a broken world.
I was listening to klove on my way home the other night and they shared this verse and little did I know that two days later it would be part of my daily reading in Psalm! But I really liked this Psalm so I decided to share what I got from it.
ReplyDelete"But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation." Psalm 13:5
I went back and looked it up in my bible and I have the words unfailing love underlined. Those two words are some of my favorite words in the bible. I just think they speak volume to the love God has for us. It’s just that, unfailing, never going to fail. I think of all the people in my past that have let me down, from my own parents, family, to friends, boyfriends, etc. but one person’s love I know is unfailing is God. Everyday I remind myself that His love is unfailing. The cool part about this Psalm is that it starts out in verse one where David is praying for relief from despair. He asks this:
"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?...... But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation." Psalm 13:1-2, 5.
In this psalm, the phrase "How long" occurs four times in the first two verses, indicating the depth of David's distress. David expressed his feelings to God and later found strength. By the end of his prayer he was able to express hope and trust in God. I feel this is sometimes so hard for us to do, but here shows the power of prayer! I love that through prayer we can express our feelings and talk our problems out with God even when we don’t get answers right away we have a God who hears and listens. Thanks goodness, cause I know sometimes friends aren't there or don't have time to listen, but God does! However, just like us today, David frequently claimed that God was slow to act on his behalf. I know I often feel this same impatience. It seems that some things go unchecked and we wonder when God is going to stop them. But the part of the verse in which I first shared affirms us through David that we should continue to trust God no matter how long we have to wait for God's justice to be realized. So basically if you are lost from all I wrote just remember this, whenever you feel impatient, distraught or in distress, remember David's steadfast faith in God's unfailing love here in this Psalm.