Today's Word of Encouragement (8/28/2020)

We continue our reflection on the reasons that God delays the fulfillment of His promises. Andrew Gray thinks that the greatest reason is for God to deal with our defective faith, which has the following flaws:

“Our faith is often impatient and sluggish, failing to imitate ‘them who through faith and patience inherit the promises’ (Heb. 6:12).” As we read the Bible, especially the stories of the faithful men and women of God, we should remember that they were real people with real problems like us—for example, Abraham, who had to wait for 25 years before God’s promise for a son came true—this, when he was already 75 years old when the promise was first given to him! Then, we can see that it could not have been easy for him to persevere in faith and we are not the only ones who are facing the difficulty of perseverance. To know that we are not alone and we have a good company, who have gone through the process and emerged victorious and vindicated in their faith, can encourage us greatly.

“Our faith is inconsistent toward the promises, reading them one time as savory meat (Ex. 4:31) and other times as unsavory as the white of an egg (Ex. 6:9). The Lord has not changed and neither has His Word, but our inconstancy plagues us and distances us from the promises.” Oh, how important it is to be reminded of the steadfastness and unchangeableness of God and His promises! We should not let FADs (For-A-Day) nullify God’s immutable character and unchangeable promises.

“We are not diligent in faith and prayer for the fulfillment of a promise, and in meditation for its lively nectar. Prayer and meditation strengthen our faith and set our hearts on the Word of God. We neglect these means to our peril.” Our minds can easily be swept away by the clamoring noises from the world. The Word of God and prayer (which is based on God’s Word) can reorient and realign our minds and hearts to the truth of God.

“We build our faith on what we see than on what is promised. When our circumstances affirm the promises of God, we believe, but when they are contrary to the promises, we reject confidence and hope.” We know how well this describes us. But we have to remember that, while our present circumstances are under God’s sovereign control, they are not the final product of God’s sovereign will. Our circumstances constantly change—at one moment, it may seem like God’s promises are null and void and, at the very next moment, God’s promises are being realized far beyond our expectations. It is so much wiser to trust in the constancy of God’s character and promises rather than the constantly changing circumstances of our lives.

“Our faith in the promises is not specific. We believe the general truth of God’s promises, but we do not study His Word to make particular application of them.” We should not just pray for more love or patience; we should pray for love and patience for the very people we find annoying and unpleasant, for example.

Have a blessed weekend as you persevere through the very challenging circumstances that you are in and hold on to God and His gracious promises!    

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