The sun rises on this new day.
There is a new way to live.
Draw near every day.
There is a way.There is a new & living way.
This way is by the blood of Jesus.
The way to heaven is by a Crucified Christ.
To those who hold fast to the confession of our hope.
To those who do not waver, then this God will be precious.
He Who promised is faithful; and we must hold fast to our beliefs.
Hebrews 10:19-24
We have confidence to enter this new place.
A new way that God inaugurated by the blood of Jesus.
Let us draw near with sincere hearts & full faith.
Let us hold fast our confession of hope.
And my first question is, How?
I've lived a while; I've wondered so much; I've been so disappointed with me.
Honestly, this next thought has turned my life upside down over the past six years.
It's advice from Martin Luther. Advice he gave to himself and to his friends.
"If you would believe,
you must crucify the question, How?"
Crabb wrote: "Stop trying to figure out what you can do to develop
stronger faith, brighter hope, richer love.
Keep drinking the milk God has poured into your bottle.
God loves you too much not to grown you up with solid food."
Living this new way had made all the difference in this turbulent world of mine.
PRAYER FROM PSALMS
God, I think David knew in Psalm 13:1-2 that he needed to bury the how questions.
"How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long, God? Will You hide your face from me?
How long, LORD, must I wrestle with my thoughts?
How long, God, must I have day after day sorrow in my heart?
How long, LORD, will my enemy triumph over me?
Answer me or I will sleep in death.
. . .
But, I trust in your unfailing Love.
The LORD has been good to me!
Yes, you have!
The "hows" are what cause the distress, the unrest. The "hows" that wake us up in the night, that preoccupy our minds in the day are what steal our faith.
ReplyDeleteWe were made to problem solve. Our brains run all the time searching for solutions. We continually try to answer the unresolved places, especially the "how" questions. Even in dreams, we are wired to search for solutions until we find that place of rest that offers some kind of answer. When we decide we are going to believe and trust God, we find that we don't have to know how things will work out, how long we must endure, etc. We can rest knowing that He knows and will take care of us, no matter what happens. This is the faith that leads to peace. And it goes against our natural state. So then, one final how question: How do I get more faith?
Hebrews 12:2 says "...Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith". And Romans 12:3 says " ... God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” Faith is not something that we do or a presence of mind that we develop, but faith is a gift from God. Rom 10:17 says " ... faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ." So faith is a gift from God that we receive from the word of Christ. As the Message becomes more real to us, our faith grows.
So, as we approach our Savior's birth, may we all BELIEVE and consequently, find rest.
I so relate to this "crucify the how" dilemma. In fact, it is the number one thing or close to it, that I get tripped up on. I don't wonder where God is so much anymore. More often, I am doing this how business. Thanks for the always thought-provoking and substantive commentaries you post here daily, Bev. THANK you for the challenge, the comfort, the company along the way! Love you bunches.
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