The God of the Task

Scripture:
"Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old. And the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform." Romans 4 : 19 - 21

Observation:
Abraham assessed the situation after God spoke to him. He allowed his mind to do what was natural and contemplated the possibility of what was told to him by God. He did this without becoming weak in faith. In short, he questioned the possibility of the task without questioning the God of the task.

Application:
Faith is often packaged very poorly and delivered to me in a manner that is hard to accept. Faith is defined as a belief that is not based on proof. I have explained to people many times the direness of a situation that I faced only to hear them say "You just have to have faith." They say it flippantly and it really frustrates me. I wonder if they honestly do not think that I have thought of that? I wonder to myself, what if they were in my situation; would they be able to "just have faith?" As I read this passage this morning, I get the feeling that I need to have more than just faith. There always seems to be a little something missing.

I think that the first thing I need to have is a relationship with God. Sometimes it is tempting to wait until I am in the middle of something that is larger than me to seek connecting with God, but that is a tough row to hoe. It is better to head into something with God rather than trying to find Him once I am in the middle of something. I need to know how to seek, find, listen and respond to God in everyday life. My relationship with God when everything is good is directly correlated to the relationship I will have with God when circumstances require me to exercise faith.

I think that the second thing I need to have is a word from God. Many times in my past, I have placed my faith in a thought or desire that was my own. That is not the intended object of true faith. Getting a word from God is tough work. It requires humility. It takes time. It is illogical. There is an innate fear inside of me that makes this part tough. How do I do this? What do I say? What happens if God is silent? How will I know if He speaks? As much as I wonder about the process of doing it, this is a part of the process that is critical. My faith will never be complete and has no chance of delivering anything of value if it is based on anything short of God's word. This does not always mean I get a specific answer from God. Often, God reveals an aspect of His character that He asks me to hold onto. Sometimes it is a past promise. But I have always found that He eventually responds when I ask Him for a word.

The third thing that I need to do is follow my mind's natural process of evaluating my planned direction. It is crazy to not do this. A question left unexplored lingers out there like an unpaid debt. It haunts me. It opens me up to doubt. Allowing my mind to assess and evaluate a situation does not mean that I am searching for a logical way to anticipate what God is going to do. It simply means that I am establishing the odds. I am understanding what it is that I am facing. At the end of the day, it leads me to really appreciate what it is that God is going to do and sweetens the celebration once the work is complete. It also eliminates the potential to doubt. And this is not a one time step. Every single time a doubt rises in my mind I have to explore it and assess what is going on. As I contemplate the doubt, I also must contemplate the word I got from God. At the end of the day, it is God's word that I must return to.

The fourth thing that I need to do is to remember to stand absolute in my belief of God's word. This one is tricky as it is not something that I just determine to do, it is a strength that is born out of my relationship with God. I do not just wake up and chose to be absolute. As I experience God working in my life I learn to trust His faithfulness and that experience leads me to stand unwavering in what I know God will do. I must also walk in obedience and allow God to lead me into and out of things. Each experience I have with God strengthens me to be stronger the next time.

Prayer:
Father, You are amazing. As I look back over my life I am greatly comforted by all that You have done for me. But I am also reminded that I do not live in my past. The journey that I am on with You continues everyday. The things that I face today will require more of me than You have ever asked of me before. That is the essence of growing in my faith in You. I have to constantly allow You to lead me to new places. The trouble is I do not like new places. They make me uncomfortable. I like to know how things are going to end. I like having the confidence of past experience when I am dealing with something. I pray that you teach me how to apply my past encounters with You to the new things that I face each day. Help me as I work out my faith and continue to learn to live a life that is pleasing to You. As I do this, my only hope is in Your grace and favor working in my life.