A Faithful God

Psalm 86: 7

In the day of my trouble I shall call upon you, for you will answer me.

David had experience with God. We can learn a lot from David because he and God were so close that they were actually friends. David reveals to us the nature of God in this passage. David knew from experience that when a faithful person calls upon God, God answers. He answers every time. He answers every person.  

Part of that receiving is in the faith. David became very good at receiving from God because he had absolute faith in God’s faithfulness. David believed whole heartedly that God would answer his every prayer. God is moved by that kind of faith. He wants people to call on him and depend on him. The more we expect God to move on our behalf, the easier it is for us to receive all that God has bestowed upon us. When you call, expect an answer and I promise you will not be disappointed.

He is Paying Attention

Isaiah 40: 27

Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God?”

Sometimes, I know, it seems that God is far away. You are doing your best with all you do; trying with your effort to please the Lord, but it seems the ungodly are getting the best of you. You wonder why God does not see all the good you do and how much you are giving in order to be like him and why he does not rush in to vindicate you. Do not fear. Do not lose your patience. God is watching and he is seeing. All that you do in secret is plain to him. Nothing you do goes without his notice. He will come to you in a time when you least expect it. There is a law that cannot be denied. That is that what you sow, you will get. While it may seem that your efforts are going unnoticed, believe there will be a reckoning. God is paying attention to you and he is working out situations for you right now. When it seems that you are the most alone, just look up. God is much closer than you think and your deliverance is just around the corner. No matter how bleak the prognosis nor how dire the circumstance God will deliver you into his own hand. He has your solution in his hand right now and is rearranging whatever he must in order to get it to you. Don’t lose faith. What you have done in secret, the Lord has seen and you will be rewarded according to your faithfulness.

It is Well

Ecclesiastes 8: 12

I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly.

We remember, of course, that when we see the word “fear” in the Old Testament related to our relationship with God, we must immediately translate that word in our heads to revere. I would go a step further, however, in this new dispensation we are under so for myself I read this passage as “It will be well for those who love God, who love Him openly.”  

What does it mean to love God openly? I can think of times in my life when my love of God was a bit of a secret. It wasn’t that I intended it to be a secret though. I think that the relationship I had with Him just wasn’t big enough. Now I don’t believe that I could keep it veiled because God has become the predominant force of my life.

Perhaps we are not always as proud of our Christian heritage as we could be. For myself, I wasn’t living in the victory of Christ to any great measure so my story was undeveloped but as with anything that positively impacts your life once your life with Christ becomes your existence then you are enthusiastic to share what is working for you with others. Then you love Him and share Him openly. People see Him on you. He becomes the gleam in your eye, the light of your countenance.

Every day we have an encounter with the Word of God. Whether we hear this question aloud or not we are everyday faced with whether or not we will choose to believe the Word. Sometimes believing what God has said requires a leap of faith. Okay, so jump! Take a chance that God is not a man that He should lie. Jump off of the end of the pier believing that He is faithful and will catch you. What if you should invest your faith, your mustard seed of believing power in the statement that if you love Him, it will be well with you? Is it a bit scary to make that leap?

There is a beautiful life out there awaiting each one of us. It is full of the riches of God’s glory and favor in Christ Jesus. God gives us all the secrets, all the answers to the test questions. He wants to give us success and beauty and riches. It is His deep desire to promote and exalt us. We need only that little mustard seed of belief. God can do so much with one life, even yours. Open your heart anew. Lift your eyes to the horizon. There is so much out there for you. Even if you think you are in the winter of your life you can get a revelation of the seeds and bulbs God has in the ground for you just waiting to bloom and grow. It is eternal spring for those who love God and who are called to Him. Let your heart grow into a new vision of what God has for you. If you can believe this little passage from the Bible, then you can experience miracles and wonders beyond your current belief level. Open your heart, receive of the Lord and live in the fullness of His blessings. Amen.