"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
Of Faith and Despair
------------------------
Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers this week have been for the victims and families of those so horrifically impacted by evil. We grieve with them, and for them.
This act was perpetrated a human being surrendering his will to ideas so horrific, and revolting that we cannot for one moment imagine that this was a person in any way, in logical control of himself ... and it is ironic that the hard-core reality of Spiritual Ideas/Spirits are what we have been discussing for the last several weeks.
It is almost as if evil is throwing humanity's failures in its face to mock our faith and trust in God !
How could God allow this to happen and do nothing, how could a human be so depraved as to take the lives of CHILDREN in this fashion?
This was not an act of revenge or insanity, this was an act of pure evil fashioned to drive further wedges into this society and culture, that did not care for the lives of the innocents it trampled in its wake. It is designed to drive more poison, more hate, more division, and ultimately despair into the minds of people .... a rich feeding ground it can use to ensnare more victims.
Does God feel nothing? You may well ask.... let us give you a passage in Genesis.
"And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it --repented-- the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it----- grieved him at his heart------.
And the LORD said, I will --destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; ---both man, --and ---beast, ---and the creeping thing, ---and the fowls of the air; for it ---repenteth me that I have made them. " - Gen 6:5-7
Is that what we want Him to do?
That is certainly ---A--- solution, if not the one we would necessarily want. No, you say, we want Him to fix it. ..... OK, but what if He says the fix will cost X, and take Y to accomplish? .... would we still choose destruction or would we choose the fix? You tell me.....
Waiting is not pleasant. Waiting and trusting God in Faith, is even harder.
Faith comes from two things...
(A) hearing the Word of God (reading/listening, understanding, and keeping it), and
(B) experiential verification --- our memories of His faithfulness in our lives, and the experiences that CONFIRM what we BELIEVE is TRUE.
BOTH MUST EXIST FOR OUR FAITH TO BE IN GENUINELY TRUE THINGS!!!
Otherwise we could believe "whatever we want"... and be justifiably be labeled as "religious nuts and fools" by those that do not want to acknowledge that a Spiritual God exists, even if that is sometimes demonstrated by the existence of acts of great spiritual evil.
This last Thursday was Ascension Day.... it is not remarked about in the news, and not observed as widely as Easter or Christmas, or even Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, which will be next week ....
This was the day that Christ ascended to Heaven, and left His disciples on earth, looking up at Heaven.... and they could well have stayed there on that hill facing Jersualem for a long time, were it not for two angels that told them to ... "get on with it"! ?
"And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why ---stand ye--- gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." - Acts 1:10,11
Did the disciples grieve when He "died" on the cross?
Yes. How could God allow His Messiah to be treated like that, and finally die?
Did they rejoice when they saw Him again?
Yes! Awesome.... they were now going to be part of the coming kingdom! ....
Oops.... now He's gone again........... what do we do???
You know the rest of the story........ Pentecost, and tongues of fire (which is why our Page is back to sporting our normal look)...
Well, after the rush of Pentecost, they had to get on with living by faith... yet they saw more miracles, more healings, more signs that CONFIRMED, both for them, and their audiences, that what they were believing was TRUE!
And so it should be in your personal life. When the LORD says, "cast your cares on Him for He cares for you", and "don't be anxious for anything".... He is serious!! You should definitely work at whatever is put in front of you with all diligence, but should trust Him to keep and preserve you.... in life or in death, and keeping in mind all the times that He HAS come through for you in unexpected ways!
And in this, we are aided by memories, and experiences, and even, to an extent, "our understanding". But our understanding only goes so far.... we know what we know, but as was famously quoted, "there are unknown unknowns".... that is where trust and faith in God comes in.
Abraham believed God, and his faith was counted to him for righteousness. This is the victory that overcomes the world -- our faith ... ("John 3:16 -- Whosoever --believes in Him- shall not perish) so naturally ... this is what the enemy attacks... the Word, and Faith !
Blind faith can be attacked, if it does not stand on the foundation of truth ---experiential truth, logical truth, scientific truth (not scientific hypotheses like evolution).
But if our faith in our God is given by Him, He will lead us into all truth, wisdom and understanding, for without Him in these times, nobody will survive...
"but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And ----they that ---understand--- among the people shall ---instruct many: yet they shall ---fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.
Now when they --shall --fall, they shall be --holpen with a --little help: but many shall --cleave to them with ---flatteries. And some of them of --understanding shall fall, to --try them, and to ---purge, and to ---make them white, even ---to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. " Daniel 11:32-35
What will we do in those days? Will we throw in the towel out of despair? Or will we fight to overcome anger with love, hate with compassion, fear with trust?
A question wistfully asked by Christ Himself !
"And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. ---------Nevertheless------- when the Son of man cometh, ---------shall he find ----faith on the earth? " - Luke 18:7-8
Let God be the one to direct your paths, and not the whisperings of the enemy.
Lord we pray, preserve your people, give them the strength to overcome, to heal, and to bless and comfort those whose faith might be shaken!