pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: trust


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By Faith

Reading: Hebrews 11: 29-40

“By faith” they walked through a sea, by faith the walks of a mighty city simply fell down.  By faith the giant was slain, by faith three hundred routed the thousands.  By faith touching the hem of a garment brought healing, by faith a man walked on water.  By faith the people of God have done things that would have been impossible otherwise.  Each and every time someone trusted fully in what God was calling them to and the miraculous occurred.

These stories are not stories of someone getting a wild idea and then asking God to make it happen.  Each is the story of how God spoke into the heart of a faithful follower.  Each is the story of a person hearing or sensing the voice or nudge of God and being willing to trust enough in God to lead them to respond by faith.  One can only assume there are thousands upon thousands who heard or felt God leading them as well but instead ignored it or refused the call.  We know this because we each are one.

Each of us that have heard or felt God leading us to do or say or be something are not without faith because we hesitated or were fearful or doubted.  We are human.  Each of us have also had experiences where we did step out by faith, where we did trust in where God was leading us.  In these cases lived were affected and maybe some were changed.  Perhaps our life was one that was changed because we followed God’s lead.

Just as all those who have come before learned and trusted and came to walk with God, we too are learning and building trust and growing by faith in our walk with God.  Just as those such as Moses, Joshua, David, Samuel, Rahab, Stephen, Peter, Luther, Martin Luther King Jr., and many more lived by faith to positively affect our faith and our world, we too can have a mighty impact for the kingdom of God.  May we be willing and trusting servants to answer the call of God and to step by faith to do God’s will.


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Like Abraham 

Reading: Hebrews 11: 8-16

Too often we are deaf to God’s voice.  Like with Abraham, God is seeking to bless us and to do great things in our lives.  Throughout our day God seeks to connect to us, to draw us into relationship, to allow us to experience the presence of the Spirit in our life.  Too often we miss these chances.

Most of us have had significant encounters with God.  Maybe they were during a retreat or when we were at camp.  Maybe they were in a deep valley where our sense of God’s presence became very real at the low point of a trial or struggle.  Maybe it was during a special worship service or when we were on a mission project.  At certain times we are particularly open to hearing God’s voice or experiencing God in our midst.  But God desires this to be our frequent experience throughout our day.

The ‘God moments’ we have experienced are powerful and meaningful.  So this leads us to seek out why we do not have these times more often in our day to day living.  In Abraham’s story we find some clues.  First, he was open to hearing God.  At times God’s voice will boom into our lives.  But Abraham had his ear ever tuned to God and had his spirit focused on God.  We too can do this by being intentional in inviting God into our daily lives and by being cognizant of the opportunities God places in our lives.  These may come in the wise words of a friend, in the face of the one in need we encounter on the sidewalk, or in the still small voice of the Holy Spirit whispering into our heart.  Second, when Abraham felt God’s presence or heard the voice, he listened and was honest.  If he did not understand or felt doubt or fear, he was honest with God about these things.  God did not walk away, but responded.  Through faith Abraham heard and obeyed God and was credited as righteous.

Life can consume us.  Life can swirl around us.  The noise and busyness can obscure God’s voice and the encounters sent our way.  When we allow these things to occur, our relationship with God suffers.  Our soul is poorer for having missed out.  Our faith is not as strong as it could have been had we experienced God’s presence.  We, like Abraham, can hear God’s voice often.  We, like Abraham, can become attuned to that voice, lifting it above the daily hum.  The more we hear the voice, the better we listen. And we, like Abraham, can and will experience God’s presence and blessings when we slow down and focus on our faith.  May we learn to be like Abraham so that we can receive the promises, blessings, and power of God in our lives, daily and often. 


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Step Forth Boldly

Reading: Luke 10: 16-20

In a way Naaman and the 72 are opposites.  Naaman loads up the treasure to pay for his healing and heads off to find the man of God.  The 72 go out with nothing, taking the word of God, empowered by Jesus, to give away healing and hope.  In Naaman is healed, he may be drawn near to God.  The 72 are going out to bring the kingdom of God near to all people.  Even to those who reject the Prince of Peace, the disciples proclaim that He is near.  Too many of today’s Christians and too many of our churches today are more like Naaman, seeking to get something from God instead of striving to offer God to others.

Earlier in Luke 10 Jesus stated the reason for sending out the 72: “the harvest is plentiful”.  It is certainly plentiful today as well!  The disciples trusted in Jesus’ power and stepped out boldly to heal the sick and to proclaim that the kingdom of God was drawing near.  At first they must have been way outside their comfort zones.  Naaman too must have wondered a time or two what in the world he was doing as well.  But God rewarded their faithfulness.  Both the 72 and Naaman experienced firsthand the simple power of God to bring healing and to know personally how impactful the kingdom is in their lives.

Jesus calls on us today in the same ways.  Trust in Him and in His power to guide us.  Rely on Jesus alone.  Go forth and trust in the Lord of the Harvest.  May we too boldly step outside of our comfort zones, trusting that God will lead.  Through our simple faith, may we this day bring the kingdom of God near.


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Fully Trust

Reading: Luke 10: 1-11

For most of us, when we wake up in the morning, we know what our day is going to look like.  We tend to be creatures of habit, creatures of routine, creatures of schedules and lists.  We tolerate interruptions to our day fairly well if we perceive them as something good.  Not to say we plan every second, but we do not like the unknown too much and we feel more in control when we plan, organize, and prepare.  For as long as mankind has walked the earth, this has been true.  Societies like order, law, and norms; this is a reflection of who we are as individuals.

Step into the shoes of one of Jesus’ disciples.  He seems to be a wanderer of sorts.  He seems to get up every morning and goes where He is led.  You wake up in Jericho but may not go to sleep there.  The day begins heading toward Bethlehem but you end up in Bethany.  At first it was a little uncomfortable and disconcerting just going wherever.  But over time you’ve come to see that no matter where you are or who us around, Jesus seems fully in control.  You seem to usually get fed and there is almost always a roof over your sleeping spot.  Over these months you’ve really come to trust in Him and to rely on Him for, well, for everything.

Then one morning you get up and gather around for the usual morning devotional.  You smile because today you see Jesus is leading the devotional time.  But today, instead of teaching Jesus gives instructions.  He says we are to go out two by two, by ourselves.  We are to try and bring His peace into the towns and villages that He will soon come to.  We are to preach that the kingdom of God is drawing near.  We are to heal the sick.  What?  Heal the sick?  He goes on – take nothing with you.  Nothing.  Jesus says we are to rely on those we go to for food, shelter…  Then He says, “Go!”

Jesus was calling on the disciples to trust Him.  He told them that He will still be with them even though He is not physically present with them.  Jesus tells them that they can go out and do what He has been doing because He is empowering them to go forth in His name to proclaim the good news and to bring healing to people’s brokenness.  Jesus is calling them to trust fully in Him.

What lies ahead for us today?  What all is on our to-do list?

Maybe not today because it’s already planned, but one day soon, may we each do what those first disciples did.  May we wake up and go out into our communities and neighborhoods, taking nothing but Jesus with us, but fully trusting in Him to lead and provide.  May we fully trust in Jesus Christ on that day.  It is a start.


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Young and Powerful

Reading: 2 Kings 5: 1-14

The three central characters are varied.  Two are very powerful and one is apparently not.  On the one hand, Naaman and Elisha appear to have a great deal of power.  Naaman is a powerful military commander and Elisha is God’s prophet, empowered by the living God.  The slave girl appears weak and powerless.  She is a prisoner of war, being kept as a slave in a foreign land.

On the other hand, Elisha and the slave girl are powerful in a way that the world does not know.  They know the power of God and trust in Him absolutely.  Naaman does not know God.  He is powerless to affect the one thing in life that isolates him: leprosy.  In a mighty act of God, Naaman does come to see and experience God’s healing power, but we do not know if he claims it for his own.

In this story we cannot miss the young slave girl’s impact.  She is alone, away from her people, enslaved in a foreign land.  Yet she holds firmly to her faith in God.  Without the slightest doubt she makes known to Naaman that he can find healing in her homeland.  She is willing to share her faith and her knowledge with one who has enslaved her.  This young slave girl is a shining witness to her faith, loving her enemy.

We cannot miss that she is young, yet another example that God provides so that we do not overlook our young people.  It would have been easy and all too common for Naaman to simply dismiss her.  It is not common for those in authority to readily listen to those who appear young and powerless.  This happens in our churches as well.  How often do we miss what the young Davids, the young Samuels, and the young slave girls have to offer.

After spending a week with almost one hundred youth serving on the Navajo Nation, I can testify to the fact that they have much to offer.  They not only offered the labor of their hands, but they also witnessed to their faith.  They were, like the slave girl, amazing and powerful.  As individuals and as places of God, may we cultivate, encourage, and seek out young people as leaders and as contributors to the building of the kingdom.  Like with the slave girl, much power resides in our young people.  May we invite them in, allow them space to share and develop their dreams, gifts, and talents, and encourage them as they go forth to change the world.


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Transitions

2 Kings 2: 1-2 and 6-14

Transitions are hard.  They create stress.  In our modern world, which moves at such pace, transitions are all too common.  Be they in our families, at work, or within our circle of friends, transitions often occur.

Elijah and Elisha are preparing for a transition.  Elijah has been God’s lead prophet for Israel.  He has spoken the truth to kings, often in fear for his life.  And now it is soon Elisha’s turn to take up the mantel, to carry the load.  Many, including Elisha himself, are wondering if he is able to continue the difficult work of Elijah.

We too have all come to a similar crossroads.  We find change occurring in our lives and we wonder if we are up to the new task at hand.  Points such as our first real job, our moving to a new stage in our education, and our getting married all bring us to the point of asking ourselves if we are prepared for this next step.  Others around us are probably thinking the same thing.

After Elijah is taken up, Elisha picks up his cloak and walks over to the edge of the Jordan.  As he prepares to cross back over, before touching the water, he invites God’s presence in.  As the cloak touches the water, the waters part as they had for Elijah, and Elisha crossed over.  The prophets gathered just a ways away probably let out a collective sigh or maybe even cheered.

As we come to similar junctions in our lives may we also invite God into our situation.  May we too rely on His presence to be with us.  And may we also step out in faith, trusting that God will go before.


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Requests

Reading: 2 Kings 2: 1-2 and 6-14

In many of our relationships we feel as if we can ask for things at times.  As our relationship deepens, we feel that the level of our request can rise.  For the best of friends, one will often do whatever they can for the other.

Elijah has mentored Elisha and the time for Elijah to pass on has come.  Elisha has been prepared to take on the role of prophet of Israel.  The bond and relationship the two have developed is deep.  In response to Elijah’s “any last requests” question, Elisha asks for a double portion of his spirit.  It is much to ask for.  It is also something Elijah himself cannot give or grant.  But the request is not out of bounds.  He is asking to be blessed in what he has been prepared for.

From time to time we may request something of a close friend or maybe from a parent or spouse.  And sometimes the request is something they cannot grant or is something beyond their control.  Oh they wish they could but it is something beyond them.  At times we are on the receiving end of such a request.

In these cases all we can do is to turn it over to God in prayer.   We must recognize our limited ability to fulfill the request and allow it to be turned over to God.  God is good and desires to provide for us.  May we, like Elijah, trust in His goodness and go in assurance as we petition our Lord.


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Freedom

Reading: Luke 8: 26-39

Jesus frees the man from his demons but at a large cost to the community.  The man possessed by demons had lived outside of town for many years.  Everyone knew he was out there in the caves and they were okay with this arrangement.  Sometimes it is nice when trouble is far away.  For the man, he had lived for many years with a legion of demons inside him.  To be restored to wholeness must have been amazing for him.   No wonder he asked if he too could follow Jesus.

The restoration of the man troubled the people of the town.  The huge financial loss from the pigs drowning would greatly affect the social order of the community.  The people without income from the pigs would now need to be cared for by the community.  This would be a large burden to bear.  The man who was healed would also need to fit back into the community.  Change is hard.

Jesus also offers us freedom.  He offers to free us from all that entangles our lives and that keeps us from relationship with God.  For some it is a sin that they have long lived with.  It has become comfortable.  For others is it something now seen as sin as one matures in their faith.  They too can be somewhat comfortable with this sin.  We rationalize this because change is hard and it requires work.  It requires a social reordering of our lives.  It means modifying our behavior and learning a new way to live.  But like the demon-possessed man reveals, freedom brings great reward.  May we trust into the freedom that Jesus Christ offers, knowing that He wants the most for us.  May we give to Him all that He wants to take.


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Hope in God

Reading: Psalm 42: 9-11

Doubt is a part of faith.  For some believers, faith is usually able to conquer doubt.  For all, however, at times doubt rises up and pushed our faith down.  We have all experienced times when doubt has gotten the best of us and we find it hard to call on our faith.  Part of us knows that God is always present and near us, yet we, like the psalmist, will have times when the bigger part of us feels as if God has forgotten about us.  This often occurs in times of personal struggle.

Doubt can also be cast upon us from the outside world.  When we hear of tragedies such as the recent mass shooting or the actions of ISIS or 9/11 type events, we naturally ask the “Why” question and wonder where God is in the midst of it all.  God is found nowhere in the evil of such horrific events, but He is near to some of the victims and then God is definitely near in the soon-to-follow outpouring of prayers and other forms of love and support.

Life will bring times or even seasons where we doubt.  Close relatives fear and anxiety also visit us from time to time.  Yet the presence of God can be a constant to us, even in times when doubt, fear, and anxiety are present.  Like the psalmist, may we too put our hope in God, knowing that we too shall soon praise God again.


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Don’t Be Afraid

Reading: 1 Kings 17: 8-24

Elijah tells the widow that her flour will not run out and that her oil will not run dry until God brings rain and ends the long famine that had struck the land.  His request for bread must have settled on her as a heavy weight when she first heard his request.  The culture was one that placed hospitality very high.  It was customary that even if your sworn enemy came knocking and asked for lodging for the night, then one would provide a place to stay.

All the widow had left was enough flour and oil to make one last meal for her son and herself.  When she encountered Elijah she was gathering some sticks so she bake the last meal they would ever eat.  The widow must have been at a very somber place in her heart and mind.  It is at this point that Elijah asks for some bread.  She has used up her every resource and is preparing to make one last meal and then to die with her son.  It is now that Elijah comes along and asks if he can have some bread too.

Have you ever been where the woman is at?  Totally spent and at the end of the rope?  She is there.  It is like going through a very hard loss of a dear loved one, finally heading home and feeling emotionally spent after the funeral, and a distant friend calls to tell you the news of their unexpected loss.  It is like spending a hot July day working outside all day long at the Habitat house when a friend of a friend calls asking if you can help them move out of their apartment.  Every fiber in your being wants to say ‘no’ but you feel compelled to talk a while or to go and help.

Elijah must sense the apprehension in the widow.  So her says to her, “Don’t be afraid”.  When the phone rings or the stranger appears at your door, asking when we feel totally depleted, hear His voice, saying “Do not be afraid.  Trust me”.  May we find the faith of the widow.  May we too experience His amazing blessings when we choose to trust and to answer His call.