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Faith That Rests in The Confidence of God

By 20th November 2018November 27th, 2018Faith, Prayer
by Esther Hatcher

Faith That Rests in The Confidence of God

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” 

Psalm 34:18

Life is a process, with successes and failures, joys and sorrows, peace and turmoil. It’s not always straightforward and this year it seems to be happening at 100mph for us as a family. The depths of pain and brokenness is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. At times, the exhaustion and numbness have been so intense that my bed has been my only sanctuary. And in those moments, the words in Psalm 34:18 bring me comfort.

To be ‘crushed in Spirit’ is certainly a familiar feeling. I find myself so full of hope and faith, knowing that God is ‘The Almighty’, knowing He is the one with the might and power to change the circumstances that surround me…only to be crushed again and again and again. But as I walk this painful road, I am discovering over and over and over again, that He is close to me! That it is not my circumstances that are changing, but my relationship with God. I am drawing closer to God, because when I am at the end of myself that is where I find Jesus. I am learning what it means to dwell with The Almighty! What a privilege it is to be a child of the King! To approach with boldness, and yet brokenness. To have a faith that rests in the confidence of God.

Faith beyond circumstances.

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” 

Hebrews 11:1

Through the tough times I can feel so isolated from being overwhelmed and fear stricken when I consider what the future might hold, that I miss what God is doing in the midst of the chaos. How do I hold onto faith, being sure of what I hope for and certain of what I do not see? This is especially hard when I feel like the enemy is gaining ground behind me and I’ve come to what looks like a dead-end. The problem is, I fail to realise the scale of my Father’s supply. He is a mighty God with great plans for me.

I look at the mighty men and women of the bible and wonder how I would have felt in the middle of their stories. If I had been an Israelite running from the Egyptian army and got to the Red Sea – would I be thinking that Moses took a wrong turn? Or that he was leading me to my death? Would I have fixed my eyes on God, or been distracted by the circumstances?

It’s easy to forget how the individuals felt in these circumstances; we skim through the passages too quickly, because we know the end – that God comes through for them and is faithful in all that He had promised them. Of course He was going to split the sea down the middle so they could walk through it in time for it to collapse on the Egyptians; why did they ever doubt God?!

Is this not an encouragement for us in our circumstances? We may not know how long the journey is going to be but we do know who is guiding our every step.

And we have 66 books of eyewitness accounts, autobiographies and stories just like this. We can build a steadfast faith from the Word of God. This truth takes us beyond our circumstances and brings us face to face with God. This is where we find strength to battle on and believe for more, because we have seen the King, our Heavenly Father who has promised to be with us until the end.

Let’s learn to go to Him with the tiniest seed of faith and let God grow it into an oak of righteousness.

Rest

Jesus said “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 

–  Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus tells us to come to Him, spend time with Him, get to know Him and His ways. Jesus is teaching us that we will rest secure in His presence, He has taken the burden from us already, but we need to come. Learning to allow him to relieve us of the things that weigh us down will bring relief and peace. When we come, we let go of striving and look up for that higher perspective. He’s the one with the birds-eye view, the alpha and omega; the one who sees the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning.

I am learning to allow God to comfort me with His gentleness. When my soul has been restless, it is there He teaches me to rest my will, my emotions and my pain at His feet. When I learn to rest, I learn to allow God to take back control. Your will be done, not mine.

The Confidence of God

“Everyone who trusts in him will not be put to shame.”

–  Romans 10:11

Throughout the bible, we are told to put our confidence in God and to trust that He is faithful. It is clear when we go through trials and tribulations where our confidence is. Where is yours? Is it in your status? Parents or family? Money and career? Friends and community? There are many things this world can offer us in the way of confidence and they are often good things, but they don’t last. The only thing that is everlasting is eternity with Jesus and that eternity includes the here and now, not just the future! God has promised good things for those who love Him. The Kingdom of Heaven is a good thing; the perfect rule and reign of God is where we can put our confidence.

When I cultivate faith for what I do not see, learn to unload my burdens and rest in the presence of The Almighty, I then can start to trust Jesus. I want to have faith that rests in the confidence of God.

Let us allow God to grow faith for the impossible and not allow the enemy to have a foothold to grow our disappointments! Let’s learn to spend time in His presence, with worship, prayer and the Word. Let us be wise in how we approach each new day, learning from the one that had gone before and looking ahead with anticipation of what’s to come. Trusting that even in the chaos Jesus has never left us and He is always faithful. When we live out faith that rests in confidence in Him, He is glorified.

by Esther Hatcher