Trusting God is a lifelong process for the believer. We are told that, “the just will live by His faith” and “that we walk by faith and not by sight.” While these are deep spiritual truths we still must face the natural fact that we are affected by what we see. Yes, sometimes we are discouraged when we see the innocent suffer. We are confused when those who live ungodly lives prosper greater than those determined to live by faith. In the midst of these concerns, God is telling us I love you with an everlasting love and we hear Job say, “even if he slays me I will trust him.”
Where does one get this kind of faith? How do we cultivate this kind of blind faith in a world that is driven by materiel success? Well, perhaps the prophet Habakkuk can assist us in this task. He ministered during a terrible time in the History of Judah. They had forsaken the Lord for the pleasures of the flesh and were determined to do things their own way. After pronouncing a certain judgment on the people he leaves them with a flicker of hope. He in essence tells them that if you are to be saved you are going to have to trust God in the midst of your struggle. For the truth is that God responds to faith. The prophet delivers perhaps three of the most powerful and poetic verses ever written in the Old Testament. He speaks in a language that they can understand: The fig tree, vines, olives, fields, flocks, and cattle. These are objects that the people were well acquainted with, for in truth they had spent their whole lives trying to gain these possessions. We could replace them, with cars, clothes, money, favor, good looks and it would be the same. The prophet says if all these things fail I will still trust the Lord. He says I will trust the Lord because he is the God of my salvation, he is my strength and he will take my inability and make me able to do great and marvelous things.
Pray:
Lord I confess I want some material things, but Lord I want you more than anything the world can offer.
Determined to live by faith,
Dr. Stan
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