If there’s one thing I’m certain of in this life, it is the love of God for people. I don’t always understand how it works and why we are recipients of such generosity, but I’m certain of it. I know it’s real. I know it’s for me. I know it’s the one thing that remains when all else fails.
Still, I have found myself in the midst of circumstances that test my faith beyond what it seems I can bear. I have felt the weight of hard obedience. I know the pain of defeat, and there have been times when God seems far away. I have prayed and prayed and experienced the perceived silence of God. I have stood at the edge of the faith canyon, not having any idea how to cross it. I get it. I know.
There’s a stigma that I believe is often placed on those in positions of spiritual leadership that is inaccurate and must be addressed. Those on platforms don’t always possess mountain-moving faith. There isn’t a human being on earth that is immune to doubt and faithlessness. There are times when we all struggle to believe, fail to trust, and assume that faith is asking too much of us.
Pain has a way of clouding our once sharp spiritual vision. It is vital for every follower of Jesus Christ to remember what was seen clearly in the light when we find ourselves in the dark. Last year, before that boulder crashed down into your circumstances, you believed that God is good and faithful, simply because His Word proclaims it. Today, in the dark, remember what you saw in the light. God has not changed because your circumstances have. He remains the same…yesterday, today, and forever. Our circumstances will never alter the character of God.
So, what do we do when faith seems to ask too much? Where do we turn when our prayers seem to go unheard or unanswered?
Truth.
Feeding on truth starves anxiety. A steady appetite of truth destroys doubt. A fixed and focused gaze on the Word of Truth overcomes fear.
“The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalm 121:1-4
“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6-7
“They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD—the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.” Jeremiah 31:12
When faith seems to ask too much, remember that we serve a God who invites us to ask Him for FAR MORE than we could even imagine. We serve the God of the impossible. There is nothing too difficult for Him. When our circumstances cause the ground under our feet to tremble, remember that it is on Christ the solid Rock we stand, and He is not going nowhere.
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