In order to experience the power of God, we have to be willing to step out in faith, even when it seems there is no way and no solution to the problem at hand, and our strength is gone. God will strengthen us as we go. At the center of every challenge is an opportunity for trust in God to work. Every problem contains a concentrated opportunity and offers the option of stepping out in faith. The highest truths God has to offer are rarely enclosed in a beautifully wrapped or elegantly presented package and handed to us on a silver platter. I am convinced that our Father takes heaven-sent treasures, buries them at the heart of a huge problem, then watches and applauds when we have what it takes to break that problem apart, finding the wealth hidden there in the darkness. The words of Isaiah say it well. “And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness - secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name” (Isaiah 45:3,NLT). Some things cannot be learned in the light. The greatest treasures are often buried in the deepest pits and require a step of faith to discover. We all have faith. We go to a doctor we don’t really know and are handed a prescription we cannot read. We then take that prescription to a pharmacist, a total stranger, who presents us with a mysterious bottle filled with pills that we swallow – all in faith. Our problem is not so much a lack of faith, but rather where we place that faith. Hebrews 11:1 (ICB) “Faith means being sure of the things we hope for. And faith means knowing that something is real even if we do not see it.” Faith is built upon trust. God wants us to trust Him - even when we do not understand what is happening and cannot explain the circumstances. Even when nothing makes sense and everything seems wrong. It is easy to trust God when the seas are calm and the skies are clear, but the strength of our faith is measured in the midst of a raging storm. A crisis always reveals what is really inside. What life does to us depends on what life finds in us. Faith is a deliberate choice to believe God, to walk through our fear, knowing we really can trust Him.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Oct 2013 09:40:40 +0000