Articles
Giving and Waiting
Americans at a young age learn about the Constitution because it is the paper that protects personal freedoms in this country. It is an amazing piece of paper. . . except, that’s all it is. The Constitution can’t free the soul and guarantee eternal rest, because only God can. It is so easy for mankind to believe that a mere piece of paper can be an official guarantee. But when the God of all creation says He, His Son, and His Scriptures are the key to Heaven, it is met with disbelief. In Mark 5 an evil spirit bows down to Christ in recognition of His powerful blood. This begs the question: why is it so hard for us to do likewise?
God doesn’t just say that he wants 51% of our anxieties, worries, problems, thanks, and praises. God wants everything (1)! King Hezekiah, in 2 Kings 19 turned to God because the Assyrian army was knocking at Judah’s door. The king was vastly outnumbered and didn’t know what to do, so he left it all to God in prayer--not for the sake of himself or even all of Israel to be safe. King Hezekiah prayed for safety so that the world could see proof of God’s power and dependability (Philippians 4:6-7).
Praying in faith, however, is not a “say it and forget it” kind of action. Prayer is a confident expectation and a living hope that is put into in action. If a person is out of work and praying for a new job, they don’t just say, “Well. . . I prayed and did my part. Let me just sit and watch TV as God takes care of it.” Instead, that person fills out applications and does interviews, confidently knowing that one day God will use those things to answer her or his prayer. Having faith means that there are things we are never going to understand. But it also means that God will reveal the things that we need to walk according to the Spirit— with confidence and faith. The Israelites exemplified this in front of the wall of Jericho. Do you think that the men in the Israelite army understood why they had to walk around the wall seven times for seven days? No, but they put the effort in to do what God had revealed to them, because they had faith in God’s deliverance.
God reveals to His people what they need to do in His Scriptures (2). God cares for everyone in this world, and that also means that He cares for you! He loves you and did not leave you in this world without a way to overcome it. God knows what you are going through just as He knew the struggles of Jairus and the woman in Mark 5. It is futile to try to hide your heart from Him. Instead, be like the woman in Mark 5 who turned to Him, knowing full well that your problems will also be taken care of and managed by God. There are certain things that man cannot do, but there is nothing that He cannot do. Like the woman, you are not just one in the crowd to Him. God sent His son to die for you! Conquer and be saved, by grace through faith.
1 Peter 5:6-7, Psalm 44:23-26, Rom. 12:1-2
Deut.29:29, Psalm 25:14
Inspired by: 2 Kings 19:14-19, Joshua 6:1-7, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Mark 4:35-41, Mark 5
