July 23 – What If…? (Hebrews 11:1, 6)

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”(Hebrews 11:1)

IN WORD:
You’ve prayed and tried to muster up faith. You’ve been through difficulties and tried to cultivate hope. You’ve read headlines and tried to maintain confidence. All the while, you’ve struggled with doubts. You’ve wondered if God will really come through, if trials really will be resolved, if circumstances really will work together for good. You’ve questioned God.
The human mind is filled with “what ifs.” “What if I’m interpreting God’s promises wrong?” “What if the Bible is mistaken?” What if my prayers aren’t answered?” “What if I’m not really saved?” Honest doubts nag at us, and they are relentless. Many of our “what ifs” are strategically suggested by the enemy of God; many of them are the natural thinking of a fallen flesh. Either way, we are restless within until we are able to rest in God.
That’s part of the reason for prayer — extended, persistent, worshipful prayer. It brings us from a place of doubt to a place of faith. Once we’re there, God can answer according to His Word. The time we spend crying out to God is not so much to convince Him as to convince us that He can and He will meet us in our needs. Our worship reminds us of who He is. And knowing who He is will nurture faith like nothing else.

IN DEED:
When you are faced with “what ifs,” how do you respond? Do you cultivate them, thinking of variable upon variable until everything that could possibly go wrong fills your mind? That is not the way of faith. God calls us into the kind of worship that will soak our minds in His unfailing power and love. Wisdom begins with a knowledge of who God is, and wisdom is often a prerequisite to faith. We cannot approach God in belief unless we have first determined that His will toward us is good. Only then can we be certain of what we do not see. Only then can we take hold of His promises. Only then will He reward those who earnestly seek Him.

“Faith is the sight of the inward eye.” -Alexander Maclaren-