Unless This

Sometimes we see other people following God and we admire their strong walk with Him. We may get the impression that they have really smooth lives, or that it’s just naturally easy for them to have a solid relationship with Him. As I have read through the Bible, I have seen a common theme among those greatly used by God. I don’t ever see God expecting perfection, I don’t ever see God expecting super strength, and I don’t see God expecting anyone to never have a bad day. There is one factor that I do see God expecting, blessing, and using, and I see it highlighted in this verse:

Isaiah 7:9

"Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria, and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah. Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.”

The common thing I see in those greatly used by God is their trust in Him. They are definitely not sinless and they definitely experienced their share of hard times, but through it all they trusted in God!

In Hebrews 11, we see:

Abel was pleasing to God because he trusted Him with the best of what He had. He wasn’t afraid to trust God with his possessions.

Noah had never seen rain, but trusted God that it was going to rain so much that the entire earth would flood!! He was ridiculed, mocked, and rejected, and yet he trusted God.

God told Abraham to go to a strange place that Abraham had never been before and didn’t exactly know where he was going, and yet he trusted God enough to just go.

Sarah was so old, she was way past child-bearing age, and yet she trusted that the God who promised her a child was trustworthy to be true to His Word.

Even though Moses could have lived a more luxurious life, he gave it up to obey God and help rescue his people. Because of his trust in God, he never even flinched when the most powerful man in the country and his army were after him.

We are not exempt from troubles and trials because we are believers! We are not exempt from mocking, persecution, or distress. But we should exempt ourselves from the right to feel sorry for ourselves, and have pity parties. Nobody ever said this was going to be a breeze. We don’t need to see the whole picture to understand that God will reveal the beautiful portrait in the end!

People have hurt me, but I trust in God! People have let me down, but I trust in God! Things are harder than I thought they would be, but I trust in God! I don’t understand how this is all going to work out, but I trust in God! I fall down and have to get back up, but I trust in God!

The most pleasing thing to God is not how perfect your walk with Him is. The most pleasing thing to God is when you trust in Him in spite of everything else going on around you and in you.

In Mark, there’s a story of a man who brought his son to Jesus because his son was tormented by an evil spirit. The father asked Jesus to help him, if He could. Jesus replied, “If I can? Anything is possible if a person believes”. The father said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”

If I can? This is Jesus and the father asked him to help if He could. How many times do we approach God like that? This is so hard, if you can help please do… If You’re there, please help… NO! This is the Creator of the Universe, this is the Savior of the World! This is the Beginning and the End! Oh, He can! That’s not the question. The question is, do you believe?

Do you believe through your trials? Do you believe through your pain? Do you believe when you’re not getting your way? He’s not asking for your perfection, He’s asking for your trust. Unless you choose to hold firmly to your faith in Him, He cannot force you to stand firm.

God, I don’t have to have everything figured out and perfect to trust in You. I consider You trustworthy! Even when times are hard, even when I don’t see what the future holds, I trust in You! Please help my unbelief, Lord. I want to always trust You in every situation and circumstance in my life. You are entirely faithful and I know I can trust You.