January 6
Gen 13:5-15 | PS 6:1-10 | Prov 1:29-33 | Matt 5:27-48
Many of us who call ourselves Christian boldly state that we trust the Lord. If this were a question on a test this is certainly the right answer. But do we really? All too often our actions, our fears, our doubts, our anger prove otherwise. It is very easy to state that we trust God when all is going our way and we are walking around with a smile on our face. But how about when that health concern does not go away, that money doesn’t come in, that relationship doesn’t last, the election does not turn out as you expected, etc. Are you still trusting God as sovereign? This is a real relationship, not a fake one that looks good to others. We must remind ourselves that prayer is not a mechanism to coerce God to do what we want, rather it is a conversation with God in which we learn to align our will to His, knowing that He is sovereign, perfect, loving, and just. There is nothing wrong with questioning, even pleading, as this is real in a real relationship. Notice David’s words in Psalm 6:1-3, “ O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage. Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. I am sick at heart. How long, O Lord, until you restore me?”
We can all learn from the father of faith, Abraham. After Abram mobilized his ragtag group of 318 fighters to fight against the armies of four kings, which he stepped out in complete faith, he is victorious. When he was offered to keep the goods that were recovered, we see his response in Genesis 14:22-23, “Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I solemnly swear to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what belongs to you. Otherwise you might say, ‘I am the one who made Abram rich.’” All honor and glory went to God, not himself. We read of God speaking forth what will transpire over the next 400 years to Abram of his descendants, as we read in 15:13-16, “Then the Lord said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. (As for you, you will die in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.) After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction.”” This would not make sense to those in the midst of the slavery. This would not make sense considering how evil the pagans were in the land of Canaan. This would seem like unanswered prayer to those enduring this. But God is sovereign, just, and is worthy of our trust, even when our requests are not met, even when the opposite seems to be occurring.
Read the simple words in Genesis 15:6, “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.” It’s not for any of us to comprehend the mind of the Lord. For those outside the faith, perhaps hardship is necessary for them to finally seek Him. For those in the faith, perhaps God is refining us into what He knows He will use us for. We must decide moment by moment, day by day whether we will rely on the Holy Spirit or the flesh to guide us. We can only trust God under the influence of the Holy Spirit, for this will often be counter to what our flesh is screaming. We should remind ourselves of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” God told us tribulations and persecutions are expected for us called to faith. May we stand firm in our trust in God as we walk on the mountaintops and through the valleys, when prayer seems answered and when it does not.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: