Habakkuk 2

Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Unanswered Questions

Tuesday, October 21, 2014, 2:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Believe Him.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Philippians 4:4-13 (NASB).

Trust Him

Sometimes in life we have questions for which we don’t have answers. Sometimes we pray and we can’t hear God speaking, i.e. he seems silent concerning our requests. And, so we cry out for him to hear us, even though we know he does, and for him to answer. Yet, he doesn’t always give us the answers we desire, nor does he explain all of his ways to us. He just says “Trust me.” “Believe me.” “Rest in me.” And, he reminds us that his ways are greater than our ways and his thoughts are greater than our thoughts, i.e. he doesn’t think and work like we do. He has purposes for what we go through in this life beyond our human comprehension. We may even desire the right things, but he may have planned for us to go through injustice or heartache, and so he asks us to just trust him that he knows best.

Not Anxious

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~ Phil. 4:4-7

No matter what we are going through in life, as followers of Christ, we are to rejoice in the Lord. What this means is that we are to delight in the Lord, and be thankful and glad for his grace and love to us. Sometimes life kicks us hard, and we can feel sad, discouraged, confused and/or disheartened over our circumstances, but what brings peace to our hearts is when we choose to be thankful and praise the Lord in and despite our times of trial.

We are to let our gentle spirit be known to all human beings. Gentle does not mean weak, though. This does not mean we don’t stand for what is right, or that we compromise with the world, or that we succumb to false teaching so that we appear gentle to everyone, and so we don’t offend anyone. Jesus had a gentle spirit, but he was definitely not weak in his convictions, in his beliefs, or in his testimony and stand for the gospel of Jesus Christ. According to biblehub.com, “gentle” means: “mild, forbearing, fair, and reasonable;” follows the spirit of the law, and not just the letter of the law. Jesus Christ is our example for how to remain strong in our faith, and to stand on the Word, and yet remain loving, fair and reasonable, forgiving and patient, trusting in the Lord to work all things out for our good.

We are not to be anxious (fearful) about anything. Worrying never changes anything, but it only makes things worse. Worry is the opposite of faith. Instead of fretting over our life’s situations we need to take these things before the Lord in prayer, making our requests known to him, trusting him that he knows what he is doing, and that he has a plan and a purpose for it all. We need to call on him in prayer, tell him our heartaches, and place our burdens at his feet. When we submit our will to the will of the Father in prayer, and we truly rest in Him, even when we don’t understand it all, he will fill us with his peace.

Give Me Courage, Lord

Be strong and very courageous,
For your God will go before you.
Do not fear. He will not leave you.
Wait for Him. He’ll not forsake you.


These Things

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

In this life, and in this world of ours, we will be bombarded with all kinds of messages. Especially this will be true for those of us who live in a progressive society and where information of all sorts is readily available at the touch of a fingertip. So, we must be discerning about what is good and worthwhile vs. what is junk or trash, which needs to be avoided and/or discarded entirely from our lives. If we want to keep our minds centered on Christ, and on what is good and lovely, etc., then we need to guard our minds and hearts by not allowing garbage into our minds, by not being entertained by it, and by us, instead, filling our minds with the things of God, and by allowing our minds to dwell on those things.

What we have learned and received from the Word of God, and from the godly examples of those who have lived in practice what they say they believe, according to what the Word teaches, we should then practice these things in our own lives. Yet, we must be very discerning here to make sure that what we are learning is truly what His Word teaches, and that the examples we are following are those who are truly following the Word of Truth and not the philosophies of humankind. Some things can look good, smell good and feel good, and not be good at all. So, we just need to make sure that what we are following and practicing is the truth, as found in God’s Word. And, his peace will be with us.

I Rejoice!

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.

How many of us can honestly say that we have learned to be content in whatever circumstances in life we find ourselves in? I am not speaking here of being content in living in sin or in spiritual adultery, apathy and complacency, though. May that never be! Paul is speaking here of being content in life whether we have plenty or whether we are in need; whether we are rich or we are poor; whether we have lots of friends or few; whether we are liked or we are hated; whether we have the answers we are looking for, or we still have questions; whether life always makes sense, or if it is somewhat confusing; and/or whether we see progress, or we are still waiting on the Lord for his perfect timing. Life doesn’t always go the way we hope, and it doesn’t always make sense, but when, by God’s grace, through faith, and in His strength, we learn to be content, then we will have peace.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight. – Pr. 3:5-6 (NIV)

Believe Him / An Original Work / July 15, 2013

My heart cries: Lord, won’t You hear me
Seeking You for the answers
To my heartache and questions
I have concerning my life?
Speak, Lord, to me right now.

“Oh, dear one, why don’t you trust Me
With your life’s circumstances?
Give your all on the altar
In submission of your will
To My purpose for you.

“Surrender your life completely
To your Lord and your Savior.
He has all things planned for you
For His glory and honor.
He’ll work all things for good.

“Believe Him. He will fulfill all
Of His promises to you
For your life and your future.
Trust Him. Rest in His love.
He’ll give you peace from above.”


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