“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalms 37:3-4 NIV84)
I’ve recently been reading Exodus; I saw a great dichotomy — the balance between patiently waiting and taking action. Sometimes it’s hard to know which one to do. Moses and the Israelites were “pinned down” between the Egyptian army (bent on destroying them) and The Red Sea. They had nowhere to go.
So, the Hebrews did what I often do — they started whining and grumbling! We are told in Exodus 14:13-14 that, “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.’”
“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” — Psalm 62:5-8
I’m not exactly sure what each of you is going through. But I know that, most likely, we are staring something in the face that brings us to a place of needing to trust Jesus. Perhaps in the past weeks (or in the coming weeks), you are wrestling with trusting Jesus.
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” — Philippians 1:6
Right now, there are no doors in the upstairs of my home. As a matter of fact, there is also no furniture, functioning bathroom, pantry, bedroom, or living room. We are walking on “ram board” floors, and wiping drywall dust off our clothes every few minutes. None of this is surprising since we’re blessed to be smack dab in the middle of some home renovations.
“These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. And God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all of Egypt and put him in charge of the palace.” — Acts 7:9-10
Bad news seems to be everywhere. Without a doubt, it’s hard to have faith when things look bad. There’s tremendous turmoil in the world around us, complicated health troubles, and incredibly hard days.
“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” — 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2
I have really appreciated studying 1 & 2 Thessalonians this summer. As he concluded his second letter, Paul asked the Thessalonians (and us) to pray for some specific things.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all of his ways.” — James 1:5-8
How often we have opposition or trials in our lives and try to handle them on our own. It’s easy to do because we love to fix our own problems and help others fix theirs. But, we need to remember not to rely on our own wisdom in doing this; we need the wisdom of God. When we’re faced with troubles, He will help us generously, without hesitation.
I recently read the story of the blind man’s conversation with Jesus (Mark —Chapter 10). Basically, the blind man called out to Jesus, and Jesus asked him a great question: “What do you want me to do for you?”
I bet Jesus was smiling at the man who couldn’t see. The Lord knew what he wanted — it was obvious. He just wanted the blind man to verbalize it. “Rabbi, I want to see!” blurted the blind man without hesitation. Probably laughing with joy, Jesus replied, “Go, your faith has healed you.”
Immediately, the man (named Bartimaeus), received his sight and began following Jesus.
Isn’t that great?! Do you think Bartimaeus was shy about telling his story? Do you think his life was ever the same?
I was challenged as I meditated on that amazing scene. The compassionate Jesus joyfully took the opportunity to help a desperate man with an obvious need. I wondered, “What would I say if Jesus asked me, ‘Bill, what do you want me to do for you?’ What is on my heart? Would I hesitate? Do I even know what I want?
Some of Jesus’ Amazing Promises
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” — Matthew 21:22 (NIV)
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” — Mark 11:24 (NIV)
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” — John 15:7 (NIV)
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” — Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)
Isn’t it incredibly good to know that every day Jesus asks us, “What do you want me to do for you?” He already knows exactly what we need … what we want. And He smiles. He loves answering the prayers of desperate and needy people.
What would you say to Jesus? He’s willing and able to answer. When He does, will you follow Him?
There are plenty of things to follow these days. A few that come to mind are: news, sports, popular trends, social media and music. Without a doubt, the list is endless. As I’ve thought about it, I’ve realized something. When I choose to follow Jesus (ahead of all the other things vying for my attention) I find a clarity not found anywhere else. It reminds me of these verses:
“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”— Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)
