Be Firm in Your Faith

This morning I was brought again to a passage that I have been through several times (definitely from the LORD). In my morning prayer, as I have said and continue to say, I as the LORD to bring me to the place and share with me that which I need in the moment, and this morning again He demonstrated His faithfulness to me.

The below, up to the questions at the end, are from January of 2017, and as I read and studied this morning, I thought I would post here. The LORD gave me what I needed this morning, to remember to ask for what we need and know that He will provide.

“¹¹Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” – Isaiah 7:11 (ESV)

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“⁹…If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.” – Isaiah 7:9 (ESV)

I know that I struggle each day with staying true to God. With all that goes on in our lives, it is natural for us as human to look to ourselves to solve. I admit that it is difficult to trust that God has control and has a plan for everything, especially considering that we cannot “see” him. But isn’t that exactly what faith is, “firm belief in something for which there is no proof”, Merriam-Webster.

I am reminded every morning that I sit down and read/study the Word of God that he is indeed there. God has given us the answers to each of the struggles, situations, trials, and questions that arise each day. We must stand with him and he will answer (remember though, we must be prepared to look deeper as the answer we receive may not, and is likely not what we expect).

“²⁰Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” – 2 Chronicles 20:20 (ESV)

Where do you stand in your faith? Are you only there when you are in need? What if you were to be faithful in all things and stood firm in your faith, knowing that God will do what He says He will do and is who He says He is?

Will You Trust the LORD for However Long

This morning I am going to re-post from over 5 years ago. As I am studying the word “will” I am taking what the LORD has for me each day as I go to the next passage. This morning I am in Psalm 13 where the title of the passage is “How Long, O LORD?” David is looking for relief from the LORD (which is a key point) and experiences three steps in seeking that relief, questioning the LORD, asking Him for help, and declaring His devotion to Him. Shouldn’t that be the same approach we take daily with the LORD?

Here is my writing from April 17, 2020:

I sometimes feel, like right now, that the difficulty, adversity, and challenges should be resolved much faster than they are.

“¹How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? ²How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?” – Psalm 13:1-2 (ESV)

David felt the same way. I am comforted when reading this passage. As I continue the passage of Psalm 13, I am reminded of the approach to take. As in the next 2 verses as David prays for help.

“³Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, ⁴let my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed over him,’ lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.” – Psalm 13:3-4 (ESV)

So David first laments his questions as to the timing of God’s deliverance. Next, he again prays again for help from God. And finally, he states his confidence in eventual deliverance.

“⁵But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. ⁶I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” – Psalm 13:5-6 (ESV)

It is okay to question God. He is sovereign and He provides for my needs. But that does not mean that I am to be silent. God is my Father and I should be asking questions for guidance. When things are not going the way I thought they should, I have to ask.

I know that as a corporate training professional, one of the things I stress in class is for the participants to take charge of their learning. A key part of that is to ask the questions they need answers to, and no question is off limits. I should be doing the same with God. He is the one that knows all and therefore doesn’t it make sense to ask Him? The answer I get may not be what I wanted, but I have to trust that He will provide when needed.

Have you asked God? Have you declared your trust in Him? Remembering that God’s timing is perfect, will you declare your confidence in His deliverance, no matter how long?

The LORD Will Deliver

This morning and over the past few months, I am thinking of the deliverance that comes from the LORD. I am in Psalm 6 and the title in my ESV Bible is “O LORD, Deliver My Life”. As I read David’s plea for deliverance, I see that he is not taking any physical action. He is asking for deliverance with his words that come from his heart. David is asking the LORD to deliver him for he needs it.

“¹O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,

nor discipline me in your wrath.

²Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;

heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.

³My soul also is greatly troubled.

But you, O Lord—how long?

⁴Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;

save me for the sake of your steadfast love.”

— Psalm 6:1-4 (ESV)

In my discipleship group for the past few months we also dive into the grace and mercy of God. Mercy being God not giving us what we deserve and grace is Him giving us what we don’t deserve. David above is asking for mercy and we should be as well. The payment for mercy has already been paid through the shed blood of Christ Jesus and yet, for us to receive, all we have to do is ask. I don’t have to take any additional action, I need only to ask for the mercy of the LORD.

This is the deliverance that we should be seeking. It is from His wrath that we need deliverance. I have to accept that my sinfulness is that which separates me from the LORD and that I am in need of mercy to fill the chasm between us. I cannot do anything, physical action wise, to close the gap between the LORD and me. I can only seek His deliverance and give myself to Him knowing that He will save me through His mercy and grace.

“⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

I am in need of saving and only the LORD can deliver. I need only ask with my words from my heart and He will deliver me.

What are you thoughts on deliverance? Are you looking to take action to be delivered? What if you understood that you need only ask from your heart to be delivered and accept the mercy through grace that only the LORD can provide to be saved?

Yes, it is Okay to Question the LORD

I believe that too often, we are reluctant to ask questions for a number of reasons, it is not my place, it is not the right time, fear of what others might think of my not knowing, or maybe the authority is too great for me to ask. Either way, reluctance to ask results in confusion or not/misunderstanding. This is, I believe, even the case with the LORD.

When there are things that are unknown the best way to know them is to ask questions. We should be able to question those things that are of need to know. The LORD is not too big for our questions. His authority is not too mighty that He won’t hear us. Any time is the right time and any place is the right place. It is not important what others might think, only that we are communing with Him.

“⁴Hear, and I will speak;

I will question you, and you make it known to me.” – Job 42:4 (ESV)

Job understood that the way to get answers and the way to ensure things were done right, you have to ask. Specifically, you have to ask the LORD to provide the answers.

Yes, it is okay to question the LORD. It is okay to seek answers from Him. It is okay to rely on the LORD for the direction in our lives. He is the only one who knows the answers to where it is He would have us go, so it is okay and encouraged to ask Him.

What are your thoughts on questioning the LORD? Do you find you are not worthy, the time is not right, or worried about what others might think? What if you took the approach of seeking to understand and that the LORD is the one who can provide that understanding?

Speak and Ask From the Heart

Ask of the LORD and He will provide. The thing is, that ask should be from the heart and not from the head. This morning I am reminded of this again as I read in the book of 1 Samuel.

“¹³Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard.” and “²⁰And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, ‘I have asked for him from the Lord.’” – 1 Samuel 1:13 & 20 (ESV)

Hannah asked of the LORD from her heart and the He granted her ask. What a great God we have that He grants even the greatest of asks, for a child.

But, that ask was not for Hannah directly and was from the heart, and therefore the LORD was listening and granted the ask. When you review the rest of the passage we find that Hannah was asking for a child, yes, but she in her ask, she was also giving the child to the LORD, not just a gesture, but fully and completely to the LORD.

“¹¹And she vowed a vow and said, ‘O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.’” and “²⁷For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. ²⁸Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” – 1 Samuel 1:11 & 27-28 (ESV)

Hannah asked for the child from the LORD with her heart and promised that when granted she would give the child to the LORD. This devotion to the LORD and not selfish ask is an example to me to do the same when asking of the LORD. I have to ask with my heart and with the intent to honor the LORD with the results of the LORD’s granting of my ask.

Where are your asks of the LORD coming from? Are they for your own selfish gain? What if you were to ask from the heart and devote to the LORD?

Careful What You Ask for, You Might Just Get It

Isn’t that the point. Asking for something and expect to receive it. I would think so. But, what if I received and was not really as happy about it as I thought I would be.

This is what happened to the Israelite people with the LORD. You see, God provided manna for them to each when they were in need. They were satisfied from a consumption of sustenance perspective. They had even gotten to the point of not just consuming it, but they were making bread cakes with the manna to mix it up as opposed to just eating what was provided. But, as is the case even today, they developed a lack of contentment and began complaining about not having meat to eat.

Aren’t we that way as well. We have what is needed, a house, a car, food, work. And yet, even with all of that, we still want, a bigger/better house, a newer/more expensive car, elegant food, high paying job. We lose our contentment as we desire for things that are “better”. We had found a way to make due with what we had and yet, we continue asking for more.

Well, God heard the people and decided to give them what they ask for.

“¹⁸And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat.’” – Numbers 11:18 (ESV)

And just like that, the people would have what they were asking. The LORD was providing for them as they had requested. And doesn’t that happen for us as well. We ask the LORD and He provides, even to the tune of what we want.

But, the LORD was teaching them a lesson at the same time.

“¹⁹You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, ²⁰but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, ‘Why did we come out of Egypt?’” “33While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck down the people with a very great plague.– Numbers 11:19-20 & 33 (ESV)

And there it is. The LORD provides in so much bounty that it would consume them entirely. The people got what they wanted and even more. The more was not expected, but they got it anyway. The LORD provided the meat for them and in true human nature they consumed it to the point of gluttony.

Aren’t we very much the same today. We ask for things from the LORD and He provides and we simply consume without the appreciation for it. We only become gluttonous. We cannot get enough of what we ask and turn away from the LORD in the process.

I have to remember that it is not what I have that makes me who I am. It is being content that what I have is enough. It is okay and encouraged to ask for things from the LORD. He wants us to ask and even tells us to do so. But it is the why we are asking that is important to remember, not the what we are asking. I have to remember that it is about needs and not wants. I have to remember to be content in the provision of the LORD. I have to be careful asking, as I may just get it.

What are you asking for from the LORD? Are you asking out of want and find yourself gluttonous? What if you kept you asks to your needs and when provided, were thankful and generous to others with what you receive?

God Goes with Even the Obstinate

“³Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” – Exodus 33:3 (ESV)

The LORD led the people to the land He had promised them through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But, here he is telling them to go on ahead and He will hang back, because they are difficult to lead, obstinate.

As I read the words of the LORD, I see myself and the leading of my family. I have a plan to get somewhere and yet they are resistant to my plan and feel as though they know better where we are headed and how to get there and what it will look like along the way. Now, I am not saying that I have all the answers like the LORD, but in these instances, I have planned things out and, as the head of the family, should be trusted to get us there. So, I tell them to go ahead without me and I will meet them there as I am not interested in arguing with them any longer and will allow them to do it for themselves if that is what they want. The result is that they come back to me to “fix” things as they did not quite turn out the way they thought they would.

The LORD had everything planned out for the Israelite people to get to the place where he promised them. The people thought they knew better and took things into their own hands. Then they failed miserably and would come back to the LORD for Him to “fix” it. In this instance, the LORD told them to go ahead and do things their way as He was not interested in arguing with them and would simply meet them there. The LORD was not going to work with the obstinate people at this time.

But, Moses knew that they needed the LORD to go with them and protect them on their journey. So he interceded for them with the LORD. Moses asked the LORD to go with them to show them that they were indeed the chosen people and that they had found the favor of the LORD. And He did.

So, where are we landing here. Well, the LORD does love each of us on our journey to do His will. He wants us to succeed and bring glory to Him in the process. When we are resistant to His will, He will allow us to go it alone and suffer the consequences of our self action. But, as He loves us, when interceded for, He will always turn back to us and go with us. We may not know He is there, but He will go with us.

It is important for each of us to intercede for others. We are to pray to the LORD for ourselves and for others. The journey they may be taking is due to their obstinate approach to the LORD. They may be resistant to Him yet need Him for protection along the way. The LORD will be there at the request of the righteous thanks to His love for all.

“⁷Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7 (ESV)

What is your approach to being lead by the LORD? Are you one of those obstinate folks, or know those that believe you know better and can get it done on your own? What if you relied on the LORD or interceded for the obstinate, the LORD will go with you when asked?

The LORD Will Do Exactly as You Ask

It is something for the LORD to provide just what and when we need. It is something also when He does so just as we ask.

“¹⁴Let the young woman to whom I shall say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master.” “¹⁷Then the servant ran to meet her and said, ‘Please give me a little water to drink from your jar.’ ¹⁸She said, ‘Drink, my lord.’ And she quickly let down her jar upon her hand and gave him a drink. ¹⁹When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, ‘I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.’” – Genesis 24:14 & 17-19 (ESV)

Here we see the account of Abraham’s servant finding Rebekah, the wife of Isaac. The servant was tasked with selecting a wife for Isaac from the land Abraham had left as He followed the LORD’s direction. The servant asked the LORD to make it clear to him the woman by having her complete some specific tasks. And the LORD did so.

I often ask the LORD to speak to me plainly. I am terrible at getting subtleties. I need to be bopped on the head for me to get things. I am reminded that LORD wants to provide for me. He wants to ensure that I have all that I need. It is up to me to ask for things from the heart and I should be specific. The servant of Abraham, wanting to do right by his master, asks the LORD to bop him on the head to make it clear to him that the woman to be wife of Isaac would be found.

I am not sure that we as followers of Christ ask specific enough. Yes, the LORD provides what and when we need, but we also have to let Him know what we need. When the LORD finds that what we request is in alignment with His will, He will provide and do so just as we ask.

What is your view of asking specifically? Are you reluctant so as not to put too much restraint on the LORD or yourself? What if you asked for exactly what you NEED and allowed the LORD to provide, and do so specifically, knowing that when the request aligns with His will, He will grant it as you ask?

Lost Even When in the Right Place

Reading God’s Word is so revealing. I am in Isaiah this morning as I begin a study on the word “lost”.

“⁵And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” – Isaiah 6:5 (ESV)

Here, Isaiah is describing his vision of the Lord. He is in the temple looking up at the Lord on the throne. And yet, his words indicate that he is lost.

I know that I have felt similar in certain situations. I knew exactly where I was, yet was not confident in whether or not I was or belonged there in the first place. It was not until I reached out to confess my confusion and lack of confidence that I was assured to be. Isaiah asked. Okay, it was more of a statement aloud. He made it known that he was not sure that he was supposed to be there or even belonged.

“⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’” – Isaiah 6:6-7 (ESV)

Isaiah spoke out to confess. This confession was was heard and action was taken to let him know that he did indeed belong.

As noted, I have experienced this sense of being lost myself and it was not until I confessed was it confirmed that I was. I am positive that it happens on the regular in our houses of worship. There are those who come to visit, looking for something and end up leaving without confirmation that they have found it. Either it comes from us as the congregation not embracing those who are visiting or from the pulpit with the seemingly vilification of us all as sinners. More can and should be done to help others as they are likely feeling lost.

It is not a good feeling to be lost, especially when I am in the right place. I may not know exactly why I am there, but there is a reason and frankly I am looking for it. I may not have the confidence to confess, and therefor it is up to someone to draw me in with an assuring word or action, just as the seraphim from the vision of Isaiah taking action to acknowledge and assure him of his rightful place there.

What are your feelings when you are out in the world? Are lost where you are or know of those who might be? What if you called out in confession of your being lost or were the one to take action of assurance to those who might be?