He Will


Week five of the online bible study with Melissa Taylor brought us to Chapter 5 in the book Stressed-Less Living, Finding God’s Peace in Your Chaotic World by Tracie Miles 

This chapter titled “Take Back Your Life” was filled with so much insight it’s hard to unwrap it all.  One of the sentences in this chapter that really hit me was:

·      “True faith is not passive, but active…”

The Dictionary defines faith as “complete trust or confidence in someone or something” and “belief that is not based on proof”. The biblical definition of faith can be found In Hebrews chapter 11 verse 1. Here the Greek translation is telling us that faith is both the substance of things hoped for and the evidence that things exist that are not yet perceived with the senses.

We all have faith in something. We can’t see love, but we have faith that our parents and/or spouses hold it for us.  We can’t see air, but we have faith that when we breathe, air will fill our lungs. We go to bed at night having faith that we will wake up in the morning. All these we just KNOW will happen. This is faith with peace and confidence. This is the faith we need to have concerning God's promises.

Another sentence that had me using my highlighter is:

·      “As we make faith a priority and learn to trust in God’s plans even if we do not understand them or like them, the doors will be flung wide open for God to enter our lives and begin his mighty work.”

God tells us in Psalms 37: 3-5 “Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight (great pleasure) in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you.”   Those are some strong promises!! But in order to get the promises we have to take action. We have to make faith a priority and learn to trust God. 

Faith is a heart thing. Only you and God know where your faith lies. Psalms 37 says we are to commit EVERYTHING we do to the Lord. That means to agree or pledge to do something in the future.  This isn’t a fly by night promise, this message has teeth!  This is like committing to a marriage but never breaking that vow, through thick and thin, til death do us part!  When we are that committed, God will open doors for us and give us whatever our heart desires.  The funny kicker here is, by then our heart desires what God wants for us, not necessarily that million dollars we've been wanting or a physical healing to make our lives easier, (although He could do that) but to be used by Him. It’s when we take great pleasure in the Lord that He will give us our hearts desires.

And last, but certainly not least as there were so many things I highlighted in this chapter:

·      Because of her faith, Hannah became a different person, even when her circumstances stayed the same.”

Hannah (1 Samuel 1) endured years of belittling (bullying) by her co-wife because she was barren. She prayed for years for God to give her a child. She became so despondent that she stopped eating and cried continuously.  Basically she went into depression.

But she held unto her faith that God would give her a child.  She didn’t get pregnant year after year, yet she stayed committed in her prayers to God. Her circumstance didn’t change, but Hannah did.  She didn’t give up and became determined, pouring her heart out to the Lord. Eli, the priest, thought she was drunk she was so into her prayer that she didn’t even notice him as she focused on God.

Hannah was committed. Even though God was silent toward her request for a child for many years, she never stopped praying. She had faith that God had the power to help her. She not only believed that God could give her a child, but she knew that God would give her a child. She never doubted God's abilities, and God didn’t let her down. But it was in His timing, not hers. God blessed Hannah with Samuel, and as she promised God, Hannah gave Samuel back to God. Samuel became a prophet and a judge and a "Faith Hall of Fame"-er. Hannah later had three more sons and two daughters. God abundantly blessed Hannah.

We all have times in our lives, some longer than others, where we feel we are going nowhere. Or we’ve prayed about some things and God seems to be continually silent on those matters. Don’t lose faith. God is there. Waiting for our hearts to be right where He needs it to be. Your circumstance may not change for awhile, but your heart can. God is waiting on us to have faith where we KNOW He will bring it to pass. The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it! 1Thes 5:4



Comments

  1. Great message! Hannah did not stop praying she prayed with more zest! God bless you.

    Melissa S OBS Group Leader

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  2. We all have faith in SOMETHING... I love that... never really thought about it before. That's powerful! My brother is an atheist - that thought alone could be a good conversation with him!

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    1. I am thrilled that God used something in my blog to minister to you. I know how difficult it can be when a loved one wants to argue against God. I pray God gives you the words and deeds to infiltrate your brothers wall of resistance against Him and opens his eyes to THE truth.

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  3. I love this statement:

    God is 'Waiting for our hearts to be right where He needs it to be'

    that says it all for me. I think when our hearts are where they need to be we become aware of His needs and desires for us. We begin to see what we couldn't see before. Thank you for sharing this!

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    1. Kelly, You are so correct. I likened it to trying to make a baby walk before they can even crawl. We have to wait until their little legs are strong enough to support them before they can walk, then we can hold their hand and walk beside them. God is like that with us, just waiting for our hearts to be strong enough to believe in what He has for us at that time. He is so good!

      Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

      Blessings on you

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  4. Hannah had faith even when her circumstances didn´t change! that´s so powerful! She kept praying! There are things that we have asked God for here on the mission field. We ask for awhile then those prayers slow... but, we know that God wants to answer. We keep praying. WE have faith He will complete the work He has begun in us and Gijón, Spain.

    Thank you for this encouragement today. and for coming by to visit Gospel2Gijón.

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    1. Dani, I so admire what you are doing for God. I have a friend in Brazil and I know how difficult it can be being so far away from everything familiar, trying to reach others in a different culture. But God is the same everywhere and He is faithful. It may not look like you are making any progress, but God sees their hearts. Just keep watering those seeds.

      Praying for you

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  5. Mindy, that line about making faith a priority hit me right between the eyes, too! I was stunned to reread the story of Hannah and realize that she knew God could help her, she was just waiting and hoping that He would. And continuing to be dependent on Him, regardless. What a chapter!

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    1. So many of us would have given up shortly after Amen. I am thankful God gave us the scriptures so that we could be encouraged by those who never gave up.

      Indeed! :)

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  6. AnonymousMay 09, 2013

    I love the ideal of faith as an action! Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Believing when there is nothing visible yet. Yep, that's action alright!

      Thank you.

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  7. These were some of my favorite "points" in the chapter as well! "We all have faith in something. We can’t see love, but we have faith that our parents and/or spouses hold it for us. We can’t see air, but we have faith that when we breathe, air will fill our lungs. We go to bed at night having faith that we will wake up in the morning. All these we just KNOW will happen. This is faith with peace and confidence. This is the faith we need to have concerning God's promises." Such a good reminder! Just because we can't see it doesn't mean it's not very real and very powerful!

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  8. Thanks for a great take on this. Faith defined and reminders of what it means. Very powerful words. God Bless

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  9. I like how you remind us that God does not give us our selfish desires - rather, it's the desires of God that have become our desires as we continue to grow closer to Him and trust him more.

    How I long to trust more and more!

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  10. Now I have this song stuck in my head:
    1. 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
    and to take him at his word;
    just to rest upon his promise,
    and to know, "Thus saith the Lord."
    Refrain:
    Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him!
    How I've proved him o'er and o'er!
    Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
    O for grace to trust him more!

    2. O how sweet to trust in Jesus,
    just to trust his cleansing blood;
    and in simple faith to plunge me
    neath the healing, cleansing flood!
    (Refrain)

    3. Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
    just from sin and self to cease;
    just from Jesus simply taking
    life and rest, and joy and peace.
    (Refrain)

    4. I'm so glad I learned to trust thee,
    precious Jesus, Savior, friend;
    and I know that thou art with me,
    wilt be with me to the end.
    (Refrain)

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