faith challenge
December 7, 2010
With uncertainties and potential worries (some of which i mentioned in my previous post) over many things outside my control, God has been challenging me to put my faith in Him.
“The righteous shall live by faith” Romans 1:17
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
And actually the bible is full of stories of faith. Other than the faith accounts in Hebrews 11, there are many people of God in the bible who were challenged to put their faith in God. I can think of Noah, who had to build the huge ark without any physical evidence of impending flood; Zechariah and Elizabeth when they were told that they were going to have a baby, John the Baptist, way past child-bearing age (i also contributed a devotional on my church’s website on the account of Zechariah and Elizabeth here), just to name 2 examples that I encountered in my reading lately .
And then, today, i was reading the following excerpt from Oswald Chambers:
It is the will of God that human beings should get into a right-standing relationship with Him, and His covenants are designed for this purpose. Why doesn’t God save me? He has accomplished and provided for my salvation, but I have not yet entered into a relationship with Him. Why doesn’t God do everything we ask? He has done it. The point is— will I step into that covenant relationship? All the great blessings of God are finished and complete, but they are not mine until I enter into a relationship with Him on the basis of His covenant.
Waiting for God to act is fleshly unbelief. It means that I have no faith in Him. I wait for Him to do something in me so I may trust in that. But God won’t do it, because that is not the basis of the God-and-man relationship. Man must go beyond the physical body and feelings in his covenant with God, just as God goes beyond Himself in reaching out with His covenant to man. It is a question of faith in God–a very rare thing. We only have faith in our feelings. I don’t believe God until He puts something tangible in my hand, so that I know I have it. Then I say, “Now I believe.” There is no faith exhibited in that. God says, “Look to Me, and be saved . . .” (Isaiah 45:22).
When I have really transacted business with God on the basis of His covenant, letting everything else go, there is no sense of personal achievement— no human ingredient in it at all. Instead, there is a complete overwhelming sense of being brought into union with God, and my life is transformed and radiates peace and joy.
(utmost.org, entry dated December 6, 2010)
