Our amazing Lord has a marvelous plan for you that exceeds all that you can ever ask or think (Eph. 3:20, 21). This plan is delineated in His word, and within this infallible word you will find purpose meaning and definition for your entire life. God wants you to claim His promises by faith and learn to trust Him in every moment of each day. Slowly and carefully assimilate the following powerful verse of scripture. As you meditate on it and permit it to become a permanent part of your mental frame of reference, I am persuaded you will be lifted to a higher and nobler plane from which to live a powerful and dynamic Christian life.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6).
A believer in Christ has the high privilege of taking the precious time to study, learn, and apply His word so that it may be deposited in the reservoir of the soul in order to be prepared for every trial, heartache, and exigency that will be faced. God intends for every believer to trust Him moment by moment and day by day. Yet many believers never recognize or utilize the wonderful provisions of God though they are His greatest arsenal of spiritual power and supply. One of God’s gracious provisions for assurance and His vast arsenal of truth is recorded in the book of Ephesians:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph.2:8, 9).
If you have believed in Christ as your exclusive Savior then, you have wisely trusted Him for the greatest thing –Salvation. Can you now trust Him for the smaller things… your daily needs and any forthcoming trial or difficulty? The greatest thing God can do for you has already been accomplished. His own Son going to the Cross to bear your sins was the greatest provision God ever made for you!!
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).
If He did the most for you at the Cross, will He do less now that you are His child? If He did the most for you when, as an unbeliever, you were His enemy, it follows that He will do much more than the most now that you are His child,
“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Rom 5:10).
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3: 26).
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things” (Rom. 8: 32).
I am persuaded that eternal life comes by fully and totally believing in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, simply accepting Christ as Savior does not mean all of your problems will be solved for a lifetime. To believe that you will be problem free subsequent to salvation is to be deluded and is a denial of reality. Speaking to the apostles prior to His mental anguish in Gethsemane, Jesus said:
“In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
When you are so stunned from the onslaught of human tragedies and catastrophizes that you cannot breathe or think you have come to the dried-up book. When your mouth is stopped and there is nothing you can say or do, you then are aware that you have exhausted all human resources and energy. Do not feel that you are alone. Sooner or later, God brings every individual to the end of their own personal human capacity and ability. But at just the right time, God gently nudges you and says:
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Anyone at any time may be faced with pain, difficult circumstances, and severe testing. But with God there are no hopeless situations: There is hope for everyone. For the unbeliever: Accept Christ as Savior. For the believer: Study God’s word – learn and claim His sure promises. The power from the content of His word is the means by which you can regain your mental equilibrium and resolve every problem, sorrow, disappointment, and disaster in life. In order to mature spiritually God tests your faith so that you can draw close to Him and trust Him more fully in and through every exigency. One of the most gracious things God does for you is to give you trials, hardships, and difficulties so that you will become alert and recognize that He wants you to lean on Him.
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Prov. 3:5,6).
Our gracious Lord God wants you to claim His promises by faith and mature into a trusting and faithful servant. When you are faced with severe problems, trials, heartaches, or despair you have two alternatives: Believe God’s word and stand on the promises or doubt His word and be totally miserable. In severe circumstances you may believe it’s the end of the road and that you can’t go further. You may seek consolation from a friend, or you may seek counseling from a professional. Be aware; however, there are ten thousand theories the counselor may consider as he sincerely attempts to assist clients through a difficult time. It is discouraging to find that of the ten thousand theories approximately ninety percent are contradictory and self-refuting.
This is not to discourage the work of many well trained and helpful counselors. I encourage and commend them because they try with all their might to help and are happy to see successes in their patients. The sad news is the percentages are not in their favor. Many desperate souls may go through all the motions of psychological therapy and compensation, but these therapies cannot consistently provide the answer. On the other hand, God has a message that is available for you in the midst of your greatest trial of loss. He says to YOU, “My child, lean on Me. Trust in ME! I have left you My word with all of My promises. They are available for you both now and all the way through your difficult place or trial.” God admonishes you to search the scriptures, claim His promises, and draw them into your soul by faith. Truly believe and apply them to your impossible problem or circumstance! An amazing opportunity is waiting for you, and it is in our sovereign God who is greater than any problem or difficult place.
“For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion (his promises) in the secret of his tabernacle (his word) shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock” (Ps. 27:5).
(Seems good to me! How about you?) I hope you are aware that there are thousands of promises in the Bible that are waiting for you to know and claim. Yet, it is only the promises that pertain to eternity that can be taken with you. Our concern is with the promises that deal with life as it is lived. We cannot take these promises with us to heaven. These promises are yours to claim under any manner of trial or testing, today, tomorrow, and throughout your temporal life. Our lives are not always tragedy or problem laden. We must remember it is God who gives us times of prosperity in which to prepare for periods of adversity. We do not know what we may be faced with in days, months, or years to come, but it is more likely that you will be brought face to face with some kind of disaster, calamity, or loss. God allows suffering and trials in order to test your faith, to discipline, or to teach you the essential value of having Bible information and His promises stored in the inner recesses of your soul. What should your view or reaction be in the event you are placed under a fiery trial? Is it the will of God? Is it blind luck or happenstance? Let’s consider what is written in His word concerning a viewpoint that will ascend your thinking far above any fiery trial or difficult circumstance.
“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess. 5:18).
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted: that I might learn thy statutes” (Ps. 119:71).
“I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness has afflicted me” (Ps. 119:75).
Consider this: If you go year after year without any problems it may mean that you have not grown spiritually to a level where God can test your faith. As a maturing believer, adversity is a trial sent by God to increase your knowledge of His word so that you become spiritually self-sustaining and learn to completely lean on Him. What does the written Word say about the trial of your faith? Please meditate on this powerful information that specifically addresses the trial or testing of your faith.
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various testing’s; knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience” (James 1:2,3).
As you are taught the rich content of God’s holy word you will have at your disposal a powerful arsenal of information that will equip you to successfully pass through any trial or test. How? By simply claiming the victory by faith and believing the powerful truths that are waiting and ready to be claimed as you develop into a prepared and studious believer.
“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature” (maturity through study and occupation with Christ) (2 Peter 1:4).
There are two sources of power for every believer while living on planet Earth. The inculcation of Bible information on a daily basis, and the influence, control, and power of God the Holy Spirit.
As the supreme teacher of the word of God, the Holy Spirit reveals truth from God’s word from which we are privileged to learn and claim as our own. To consistently claim, and trust in the truths that are within His infallible word will provide you with the means of possessing a divine power that supersedes any known to mankind. When you search out and trust the many promises that are contained in His word you can relax as you will then be depending on divine resources that are outside of you and directly from our impeccable and trustworthy God.
A good friend of mine, Dick Elliott, (now in Heaven) in responding to my inquiry: “Dick what is it like to be retired and free to do all the things you couldn’t do because you were working?” His wise reply was something that has stayed with me through this very hour. I am more than pleased to share his precious jewel of truth with you. He paused and thoughtfully said: “Bob I am so thankful to be where I am in life… it would be almost ungrateful not to be content.” I was so impressed by that spontaneous response that I asked: “Dick, please slowly repeat that statement back to me.” He did and that was one of the few originals I had ever heard in my life. I was deeply impressed to hear this original statement from my very quiet, gentle, and caring friend of a lifetime. This precious believer in Christ had learned the importance of taking in Bible information on a daily basis. He had learned to “walk, and not faint.”
Every believer stumble at times. Indeed, we all become discouraged; we feel we can take no more! What are we to do when we are at the end of our patience and tolerance? We must be sure that we do not break stride and keep on walking! Walking is indicative of a believer being in fellowship with the Lord. A believer who does not faint is not a perfect believer, but is one who is careful to keep walking, not part of the time, but all of the time. An alert believer does not look inwardly, the focus must be on the promises that are designed by God to be claimed moment by moment and day by day. Please memorize this powerful word from God and claim it now, and throughout the remainder of your quickly passing life… you will need it!
“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).
It is easy to believe God’s promises when things are smooth and appear to be going in the right direction. On the other hand, if you think you are in an intolerant and impossible situation, isn’t the same LORD who permitted the smooth places the same LORD who is with you in the darkness, and the fiery trial? Our matchless God will equip you to look through your darkest hour and see Him in and through His Holy Word. Since the Lord Jesus Christ created the universe and has never lost sight of one single star, and since He knows the hairs on you head and every sparrow that falls to the ground, do you think that He will take His eyes away from you in the midst of your greatest trial and adversity? God provides for you at the beginning, middle, and end of every trial or problem you will ever have in this rapidly passing life. The stumbling believer may be stunned by overwhelming circumstances and find it difficult to remain steady during the oppressive trials of life. Please know well that God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever will never change! This unchanging God invites you to His rest when you are in the turmoil of your darkest trial. He patiently waits for you to trust Him so that He can bless you!
“And therefore, will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment; blessed are all they that wait for him” (Isaiah 30:18).
You may think you simply do not have sufficient time to learn and apply His word to all of your trials and circumstances. Had you rather have an impossible problem that gives you no alternative but to seek comfort and solace through His word or is it better to seek Him early and rest in the shadow of His wings? Rather than to be unprepared when faced with an impossible situation, may I strongly suggest that waiting on the Lord and learning to fully trust Him is the greatest use and economy of your precious time. What will you do when faced with the ravaging charge of unexpected life altering incidents? I hesitate to name them because so many have taken you to your knees. I have been there, and the pain and shock are so devastating that you wonder how you can survive!
Look to Him! Focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. His light is also inside the tunnel, but you can’t see it because you are blinded by the circumstance or problem. The light you must see is His word. Please pause and absorb the truth in this powerful verse of scripture.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my pathway” (Psalm 119:105).
The only way you will be aware of the truth in this verse of scripture is to go back to verse eleven and realize that God’s word must be hidden in your heart (soul). If His word is in your soul, you will quickly realize there is strength far beyond your limited human talents and abilities.
“Thy word have I hid (memorized) in my heart, that I might not sin against thee, O Lord: teach me thy statutes” (Psalm 119:11, 12).
Keep on believing the Word of God, no matter the difficulty–no matter how impossible the circumstances! The power and deliverance in and through His word is discovered when we embrace each promise by faith. Notice: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6).
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Ps. 27:14).
“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee” (Ps. 56:3).
“For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7).
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed: for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea I will help thee: yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isa. 41:10).
“I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved” (Ps. 16:8).
“Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee” (Isa. 26:3).
“For God has not given us the spirit of fear: but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7).
For these promises to be meaningful, you must know the Gracious God who is extending them to you. He is known only by looking to the unique Son (i.e., the one who died on the Cross and paid for every sin ever committed by every person who ever lived). The sin question is settled because He paid the entire debt. He paid the debt you owed, and it is a debt you cannot pay because it has been paid in full with His atoning blood and efficacious sacrifice on the Cross. He declared in emphatic terms, “It is finished!” Believe this most powerful and soul saving declaration that comes from the unique Son of God. To believe in Him is to have eternal life; to ignore or reject Him is to be eternally condemned.
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).
“The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good” (Ps 14:1).
The eternal issue is: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).
From the gracious lips of the Lord Jesus Christ the clear issue that determines your eternal destiny is: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47).
In the quietness of your soul, you can, in a moment of time, call on Him. You can receive Him; you can believe in Him to save your eternal soul. Calling on Him is to trust in Him. It is not two things or three or more it is one thing: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). These golden words are from the Apostle Paul and Silas. Neither of these messengers from God will deceive you. Trust these words of truth and take the God ordained opportunity that God is giving you to place all of your faith in the only One who can save your eternal soul and that in absolute truth, and certainty is the King of Glory, the only Savior… the Glorious Lord Jesus Christ!
Believe God’s Word and Rest
