Trust God's Word

“When I cannot feel the faith of assurance, I live by the fact of God’s faithfulness.”  -Matthew Henry

It can be very easy to confuse our feelings and emotions for faith. We are appreciative that the Christian life is abounding with gratifying emotions and intense, fulfilling experiences. However, as delightful as these are, they’re by no means the essential nature of it.

We know that the roads of our lives will be pitted with trials, conflicts, battles, and difficult tasks. And, as unpleasant as they may be, we must consider them not simply as setbacks, but necessary to shaping our character.

If there’s anything we should learn from all of our adversity, it is to obediently rely on Christ in our hearts, no matter how we feel.  Yet, this is where many of us stumble. It appears to be a lot less painful to proceed by feelings than by faith.

We’ve heard stories from others about how it felt as if God had abandoned, or withdrawn Himself during a time of difficulty. It appeared as if He had pulled his mercy away and left them high and dry. Perhaps this sounds familiar to you, too?

The truth is, God never left. He was always right there. Yes, we may feel all alone, maybe even rejected; but this is not the case at all. Once again, this is where we confuse our feelings and emotions for faith. It can be difficult to let go of the secure feelings we have in trusting our emotions and relying on faith. This is not uncommon. That's why Jesus reminds us in Mark 11:22 to, “Have faith in God.”

We must keep in mind that our emotions react to outside stimuli, while faith comes from deep within the inner chambers of our spirit. In times of turbulence we almost expect God to walk up to us and tap us on the shoulder; to reassure us that all will be well. Then, when this doesn’t happen we feel ignored, or that He doesn’t care.

If only it were that simple. What kind of faith would we have if every time we found ourselves in a jam, or situation all we had to do was shout, clap our hands, or stomp our feet and God would come running? What kind of God would he be? He would be no more than a supernatural concierge who comes running catering to our every whim.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a God or faith like that. I want a God who loves me, disciplines me, and truly knows what is best for me. I want a God who, though I can’t see, I know in my heart that he is always there.

Thomas Aquinas said, “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” No matter what, we can trust in God’s word and almighty power more than in our feelings and experiences. We can also trust that He is aware of our circumstances at all times, and that when we speak to Him he really listens.

Scripture: Hebrews 11:6; John 5:24; Romans 10:17; Romans 5:1; James 1:6  

Prayer: Dear God, You know what I need before I say it; You know what I need before I even ask, When all my hope, faith and strength are fading, Father lift me up. Make me see your light; Make me strong, give me your power to survive whatever storm I face. You are the only father I trust. I love you, I worship and I praise you always. Amen

May your day be blessed,

Kasey