Believe and Be Faithful

These are hard days. Many people out of work… companies on the brink of disaster…the Gulf of Mexico boiling in oil, North Korea, Israel, financial markets in the tank, taking with them a lifetime of savings…it’s going global now…families suffering without enough money to buy adequate food… wondering where they will be living in a month…it's hot out now, but when the weather turns cold, will there be enough money to heat our homes?

Even in all of these trials and tragedies, God is sovereign and in charge. Please do not fret and fear, friends! None of these events comes as surprise to God and He has a plan for all of us. The plan begins with deciding that no matter what happens, we will glorify Him in spite of our circumstances.
I recently listened to a sermon by John MacArthur and in it he referred to Luke 12:22-32 where Jesus says, “do not worry”, “do not keep worrying”, and “do not be afraid”. In my NASB translation, Jesus also says this,

“And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? “If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? Luke 12:25-26

I have to confess that for as many times as I have read this passage when I saw these two verses together it blew me away. Think about the enormity of that statement…

You cannot do a very little thing, like adding an hour to your life span. So in that case, why are you worrying about things like food and clothing? Don’t you see the Father takes care of them? I dunno about you, but adding an hour to my life is way above my abilities! But to God, it is a little thing!
I believe this is true, that to God who created everything, adding an hour to my life is a very little thing. This is very encouraging to me for to it is impossible for any human to add one instant to their own life- but not for God- He can add an hour.

Why do we struggle so in believing Him? Because our circumstances seem larger than life! Our circumstances poke at us all day long and they beg our attention. Seeing pelicans covered in oil in the Gulf and constant unrest between nations played out on our televisions leads some to believe that God is blissfully unaware of our plight on planet Earth. At worst, some believe that God simply does not care. 

Our faith in God is built in the crucible of daily life and unspeakable tragedy. God is active and aware of each need and each heart. God owns all that He has created, and this means land, plants, animals and humans. He will bring good out of all these things in ways we cannot understand.

Believe...believe.  Please refocus your thoughts to Him. Read through Thessalonians and Peter’s epistles and see how God would have you respond in spite of your circumstances.
God is faithful!