If at any time you feel disposed again to say, “It is enough,” and that you can bear of the burden of life no longer, do as Elijah did, flee into the silence of solitude, and sit under—not the juniper tree—but under that tree whereon the incarnate Son of God was made a curse for you.
~Friedrich Wilhelm Krummacher (1796-1868)
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for:
If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him;
if we endure, we will also reign with Him;
if we deny Him, He also will deny us;
if we are faithless, He remains faithful—
for He cannot deny Himself.
~ paul, The Least of The Apostles, in 2 Timothy 2
Oh beloved, it is true.
We have to learn to believe. But really, it feels like we never will.
We doubt our freedom
We disbelieve His Provision
We wonder whether He will come through
We are uncertain about the future
We are struggling to believe.
However, the problem is always a bit more simple than it seems. The issue of belief is really a matter of perspectives. The first perspective being at Whom we are looking in our belief. The second being our default position on the issue.
So, first. We find that belief can be a terrible battle. The moment that a difficult circumstance arises, we find ourselves struggling to hold onto our ability to have faith in G_d. Our foreboding is a terrible spirit that threatens to pull us away from where we need to be.
Hopefully though, we learn to realize that it is not our faith, but rather His faithfulness that pulls off the impossible in our lives.
However, once we come through the first gate; learning to trust in His faithfulness, we still have a battle on our hands. Even, in trusting that He is Who He says He is, we can begin to wonder whether it is His will to bless us with something for which we are asking.
This is where the breakthrough has to happen, for all of this to work. And, the breakthrough is for us to get away from the source of the problem: us. We need to realize that we really are faithless in so many ways.
However, in getting away from ‘self,’ we release ourselves from a limitation. We release ourselves from looking at things through the paradigm of our own existence. And, in its place, we begin to look at things more like G_d sees them. And when this happens, the shift is complete.
Can we see it?
Once we quit looking at things through our own tiny lens, and begin to see them from an eternal perspective, the shift is that we no longer wonder whether things are going to happen. Rather, we are surprised when they don’t. We become more like the highly talented pro athlete who is actually surprised when he doesn’t make the shot.
So, are you struggling to believe Him for something that you know you should? Perhaps it is time to work through a couple of things. First, is it you who is trying really hard to believe, as though that were the thing that was going to make the thing happen? If so, time to put your faith in the faithfulness of G_d. Secondly, even when you are believing, are you seeing things still on strictly human terms? Time to get away from that selfish paradigm, beloved. It is time to see His Life and Work and Power and Providence from His Perspective.
Nothing is too hard for G_d. And once we believe this, we shift from wondering IF, to being surprised when is doesn’t happen.
Tonight is your night beloved. Time to get away from doubt and self, rest in His faithfulness, and see things from His perspective!
The only way to learn strong faith is to endure great trials.
~ George Müller
