It’s inspiring to hear testimonies about missionaries and Christians of the past and how they overcame impossible situations when they stepped out by faith with nothing but prayer to stand on, only to find out that prayer and God’s supply are solid foundations that we can lean on no matter how things look in the natural. I’m convinced that the principles of giving and trusting the Lord to provide our needs are as applicable today as they’ve ever been. How we go about our lives of service may have changed in many cases, but the Lord’s ability to supply for us is just as real as ever. He pours in the things we need most, the things that are the most valuable to us. He provides our needs and multiplies our efforts. We don’t always get to see the answers we seek immediately, but He has promised that they will be there when they are needed most. “God usually doesn’t show up early, but He never arrives late, either.” (Author Unknown) The old adage continues to ring true: Where God guides, He provides. Sure, things can look pretty bleak and even be that way for quite some time, but God knows when it’s the best time to pour down the blessings, and He always comes through. Many of our fears come from worrying about what will happen if God doesn’t come through. We don’t always see the results or the fulfillment of our prayers right away. God may sometimes allow us to feel some lack in order to help us grow in some way, but He never abandons us, and when the time is right He provides above what we could even ask or think. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”—Ephesians 3:20 NIV I heard the story of one young Muslim who, when he received Jesus, was kicked out of his home and had to be on the streets for a year. A missionary found him and took him into his own home to live there as his son and to teach him the Lord’s ways. This man later became a missionary to his own people and testified that he needed to feel what it was like to be homeless for that time earlier in his life, because it gave him the motivation to later open orphanages for children who were in the same situation that he had been in years before. Hold on to your faith when you’re facing a time when it seems that God hasn’t answered yet. There’s a reason for the delay, and as you continue to persevere, God will bring the answer at the perfect time. “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”—Hebrews 10:36 NIV “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which you have showed toward his name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”—Hebrews 6:11 To me, trust is one of the most powerful expressions of love. As we learn to trust Jesus with our lives, our needs, our future, and even the multitudes of little details, we are demonstrating our love for Him. By looking to Him to show us the best options, He can guide us through the difficult times and teach us to have more and more confidence in Him. As we put our hand in His, following wherever He shows us, giving whatever He asks of us and trusting Him to always be our refuge and strength, He won’t fail. It might look like we’re stepping off the cliff into thin air sometimes, but like with paragliding, Jesus has given us wings of faith (hence, parafaithing), to glide on the currents of His will, seeing life in ways we haven’t experienced before. It may sometimes look unnerving to do what He asks, but He guarantees a thrilling experience and a safe landing. ----Maria Fontaine (TFI)
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 02:54:47 +0000
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