Accepting Jesus as our personal Savior brings responsibilities to maintain the relationship between God and ourselves. Our covenant with God requires us to believe that He is Omniscient–All Knowing and Omnipotent–All Powerful. God told Moses, “Tell them, ‘I AM’ sent you.”
“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 32:27. God is a keeper of His promises. God does not require us to carry the burdens of life without His divine intervention. We dishonor God with our doubts and unbelief. God expects us to keep our part of the covenant by faithfully trusting and waiting on Him in good or challenging times.
We are to live a life by faith and purpose-driven with the intent to serve God and others.
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6.
In His mercy, God made a covenant with Noah to cleanse the earth of humanity’s wickedness. “Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth.” Genesis 7:6. Although Noah was mid-life, he was faithful and demonstrated complete obedience by building the ark according to God’s instructions.
In comparison to biblical times, we have an easy life. We perceive our lives as unbearable because we do not want to experience the suffering of trials and sorrows. God will allow what is needed for us to experience complete dependence on Him. Our covenant with God is a vow for us to “believe in Him, and to patiently wait until He brings us victoriously through our challenges.”
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Bible study: Genesis chapters 5-9
Prayer: God, we ask for forgiveness for responding to our suffering by worrying. It is our desire to completely trust you with our lives. Thank you for the Sabbath and your daily gifts of grace and mercy. We ask for the strength and courage today to faithfully serve you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.
A feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of something or the safety and well-being of someone.
A mixed sense of dread and reverence [refers to God].
Countless situations initiate fear. We will not speak on the physical dangers of where someone or something threatens our physical safety because God has given us a “fight or flight” [stay or run] system in which the body prepares to protect itself.
The third definition of fear is one that all believers should challenge because it refers to God, our Creator, and Heavenly Father. When we love God, we do not have dread. Our fear is reverence and awe of God. But truthfully, if we believe that God is Omniscient and Omnipotent–that He is fully aware of our hardships, problems, and situations before they happened then what is the basis for our fears?
We have two issues: 1. Lack of faith. 2. Focusing on our limited abilities.
Fear is an age-old problem. Even with God’s countless promises, miracles, and deliverance, we still fear our circumstances. Our minds immediately become bombarded with the thoughts of how we will take care of yet another problem or life event.
The Israelites also lived with fear, and God comforted them: “When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you! For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!” Deuteronomy 20:1, 4
Jesus’ disciples who had seen the power of God through Jesus, the Son of God required comfort: That Sunday evening, the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. John 20:19.
How is that possible? Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Matthew 26:40. The disciples also had the same deficit that many of us have: Limited time spent with God in prayer.
I asked my mother, who is 87 y/o this question: “Why do modern-day believers have so many doubts and fears?” She responded: “They do not pray enough. It is not enough to pray one or two times a day.”
Last night, I prayed for God to reveal the answer to alleviating all of our fears and wavering faith. This morning, my sister-in-Christ sent me the following devotional reading:
DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. – Isaiah 65:24
God who heard Daniel’s Prayer will hear ours when we come to Him in contrition [repentance]. … It is a part of God’s plan to grant us, in answer to the Prayer of faith, that which He would not bestow, did we not thus ask. – Great Controversy, p.525. Ellen G. White
• A Point To Ponder •
The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray. – Samuel Chadwick
Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 is not an option when serving God. It is a privilege to pray to the God who sees all, knows all, and lovingly cares for us. God always answers prayers.
It is time for us to acknowledge the ceaseless love of our Heavenly Father by communicating more frequently. When hardships hit like a tsunami, pray prayers of faith and thanksgiving. Who else can comfort us as God can? Who else can provide the answers?
Develop the habit of praying more and more each day. Your faith will strengthen and you will be confident in knowing that God will bring victory. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
God’s Promise: I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! Isaiah 65:24. Yes, God is aware of our challenges. Because we need reminders that we are to remain dependent on God, we are required to approach Him in prayer with reverence and humility. Be transparent and honest. God already knows that we are fearful with weak and wavering faith. Even so, verbalize your feelings in your prayers and thank God for hearing and answering your prayers. He knows, and He cares.
Bible Study: Deuteronomy chapter 20
Prayer: God, although you have taken care of our challenges in the past and performed mighty miracles, we are still are overwhelmed with fear. We acknowledge that we are not praying enough, nor do we have the faith and trust needed to serve you. Please forgive us for our lack of communication, our doubt and unbelief. Thank you for the privilege of prayer and thank you for being our Jehovah Jireh–our Provider. We ask this prayer in the Worthy Name of Jesus. Amen.
Casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. 1 Peter 5:7 AMP
God, we desperately need your help. Please forgive our doubts and unbelief. In Jesus’ powerful name, we pray. Amen.
But without faith, it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6
Many of us are familiar with the first part of Hebrews 11:6: But without faith, it is impossible to please him. However, the scripture also says that it takes additional action to receive our reward from God. We must believe and diligently seek Him, only then will we be blessed with the gifts that God has for us.
Serving God requires active participation every day. There are many sermons directed toward our anxiety, worries, and feeling down and out. But the answer to our emotional distress is for us to pray more. Communication with God through prayer is our life-line.
The Holy Spirit goes into the Spiritual Comforter mode while we are praying. It is a relief to feel your burdens lifted while praying. I may have started broken, weary, and hopeless, but never have I felt anything but victory after seeking our Heavenly Father in prayer.
Hebrews 11:6 further explains that we must believe that God is who He says he is, recall that God told Moses to tell the Israelites, “I Am” sent you.
Another messenger’s sermon on faith:
You may say, “I love God, but I just have difficulty trusting Him.” Then you are not pleasing to Him. You cannot struggle at the core of your relationship with God and still enjoy a vibrant fellowship with Him! Faith does not eliminate problems. Faith keeps you in a trusting relationship with God during your problems. Faith has to do with your relationship with God, not your circumstances. Some may say, “I’m not much of a person of faith. I am more of a practical person!” Yet you will never do anything more practical than to place your trust in the Lord! Nothing is more secure or certain than that which you entrust to God. From Today’s Devotional-Experiencing God Day-by-Day
Making a renewed covenant with God is just a prayer away. We are not required to do anything strenuous or challenging to serve God. It is a simple commitment to offer ourselves and worship our Creator. God loves us more than we will ever know. Believing (faith) in God requires constant communion with Him. We cannot live off of yesterday’s worship, praise, or prayers. Diligently seeking God places us in a position to build our faith and trust in Him. Whether we are in the mountain highs or the valley lows, God is always here! He is patiently waiting for us to seek Him.
Bible Study: Hebrews 11
God, we have failed to keep in touch with you as we should. Please forgive us for not diligently seeking you. We are renewing our covenant to have a much closer relationship with you. Thank you for hearing and answering our prayer that we ask in the Worthy Name of Jesus. Amen.
This life is full of ups and downs. There are moments when it seems as if you’re touching the hem of heaven because they’re so dazzling. And others when it seems you stand on the brink of hell because they’re so heart wrenching.
We can tend to feel far away from God in both. When times are good, we forget how much we need Him. When times are hard, we wonder why He has forsaken us. And yet both of those responses are only our humanity talking.
Neither height nor depth…will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39
God’s affection for us is the same at the highest and lowest moments of our lives. The heights of success and the depths of despair cannot separate us from Him. His love is the one constant we can count on no matter what.
Take comfort in this, friend: Whether this is your best day on earth or one of your worst, you will never be alone or unloved. Not even for a moment.
-Devotional encouragement by Holley Gerth, from her blog Heart to Heart with Holley.
The moments we feel helpless and hopeless are the moments we must humbly seek God through prayer.
The valleys are the seasons of darkness that God is using to develop you not destroy you!
Without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6
Prayer is our direct link to God. Even when we do not know what to ask for the Holy Spirit presents our petitions to God in a manner that He will hear and answer.
Consider this: I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is there anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27 NLT
Ask God to reveal the characteristics in your life that are displeasing. Most of us struggle with faith. When all is well and we are happy and content, we shout, “Hallelujah!.” Even so, in our low times are we still happy and praising God?
Although I spent thousands of hours studying nursing theory, it was the clinical practice that proved my knowledge, and skills of judgment and critical thinking in giving care to my patients. Faith is belief in God when we are on mountain highs and in valley lows. Faith is knowing and believing that the Almighty takes impossible situations and works them out for our good and His glory.
When we are walking through the valley of darkness, it is a journey in which we move forward with God. We are never alone!
Psalm 23 is the expression of having faith in God and a powerful proclamation of God’s love and presence in every situation that we face.
God, we are not feeling our best right now. But we know that you are doing a great work of transformation within us. Thank you for loving us and taking time to develop our characters. In Jesus’ mighty name, we pray. Amen.
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