Dear Ones:
It is interesting that throughout Scripture, the appeal of God is addressed primarily at our will. “Whosoever will may come…” “If any man is willing to do His will, …” “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This is why Christianity is a very practical matter. It is not a question of “feeling” right, although the peace of God is to be like an arbiter in our hearts. It is more a question of a quiet, resolved and deliberate choice. Let’s get practical: “Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” (Ps. 37:5) What can be more simple and practical than the call of God for us to deliberately roll all of the care and responsibility for all things concerning our lives, upon God? How simple is it to “place the government on His shoulders,” and to proceed in an attitude of trust in the faithfulness of God? I think that we can safely say that we have not truly TRUSTED, unless we have truly “COMMITTED” our way, our lives, our all to Him, and this on a daily, and perhaps, hourly basis. The question should arise in our hearts, “How is it that it should be so clear, so straightforward, and yet so difficult?” The answer has to do with limitations.
In Proverbs 3, we are told to “…NOT lean unto thine own understanding.” (v.5) There is a reason for this. We are very limited with regard to what we truly understand, as opposed what God sees and knows. Even in Isaiah, when writing concerning the Lord Jesus, we read that “…the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him…and shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and He shall NOT judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears.” (Is. 11:1,3) Why does Scripture declare this about the Lord Jesus? Because in His humanity, he is subject to some of the same limitations as we are. He was called upon to absolutely depend upon the Father by the Spirit. We are limited by what we can see, or perceive. And certainly, by what we hear, we do not understand the entirety of the matter. Our limitations shut us up to God, to Christ, and the Spirit of God. And so, we are brought full circle back to the reality of the practicality of faith, in the face of our very real and sometimes overwhelming limitations. What then is to be our expectation in response to obedience?
Psalm 37 declares that God, who is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, “…SHALL bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.” In Proverbs 3:6, we read, “…In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Please grasp what God WILL do in response to obedient faith. And also note that there is no mention of emotions here…simply the appeal to the heart to obey, and “…see the glory of God.”
Like Peter, we are desirous to prove the Lord. And like Peter, it takes time to learn to walk by faith. In the storm, Jesus told Peter to “Come,” and walk upon the water as Jesus was doing. We need to take our hats off to Peter, for I doubt there are many among us who would do the same. But the lesson is this. As long as Peter “committed” all to Christ, obeying Him, God intervened in his life. The moment, whether by sight, feelings, or just a consciousness of his own limitations, Peter’s attitude changed from faith to fear, he began to sink. God’s way is obedient faith. It is simple enough that a child can understand, and yet complicated enough that the greatest “savant” is unable to grasp the full import. So, TODAY, let us roll all of the weight, all of the care, for every need, upon Him. And let us go forth in FAITH, believing Him, for, “Faithful is He who calls you who also WILL do it.”
Love, Dad