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| {My Quiet Place} |
Our justification makes the Bible even more comforting. Which leads us to the next "How Much More" statement from Romans.
If God fulfilled His promises while we were sinners, how much more will He fulfill them now that we are righteous?
Faith in God's promises is one of my biggest struggles...but isn't that true for all of us? Think about it though. When we sin, we are essentially doubting God's promises. What about the first sin? Satan tempted Eve into doubting that God was loving enough to provide for her what she needed. God gave her all that she needed in the fruits of the garden, yet she wanted the one forbidden fruit. She wanted more. In the same way, we desire things from this world, such as relationships, money, a good reputation and wonder why God has not given them to us?
Satan tempted Jesus to doubt God's calling for His life which was to suffer for mankind. Satan also tempted him to doubt God's love for Jesus, "would He catch Jesus if He jumped off the cliff?" The internal and outward sins we commit all question God's promises and character.
How do we increase our faith in God's promises?
Having faith means doing everything with trust and reliance on God, giving glory to him (Guzik). It means obeying God, taking steps, moving, not doing nothing. Faith without works is dead. We obey God because we believe Him.
Abraham (once again) and Sarah encourage us to live in faith in God's promises. This godly couple waited trusted, and hoped in hard times. They waited for their promised son, got up and left their home for their promised land, and sacrificed their promised son in trust that God would still find a way to keep his promise of the coming Messiah.
"Look unto Abraham..and unto Sarah..for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him for the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord, joy and gladness shall be found therin, thanksgiving and the voice of melody." Isaiah 51:2-3
I think in order to answer the question "How do we increase our faith in God's promises?" we need to focus on where are eyes are looking.
Spurgeon makes some good observations on the above passage. He says, "Faith is led to look for the blessings promised in the third verse". Some people always "fix their eyes upon the 'waste places'". This is dangerous because "anything that discourages an earnest worker is a serious leakage for his strength" (Spurgeon).
Where are you looking? Are your eyes fixed upon the "waste places", the "wilderness" or the "desert"? Or are your eyes beholding "Eden" and "the garden of the Lord"? Here there is "joy and gladness", "thanksgiving", "melody", and the "comfort" of the Lord.
Why do we insist on looking toward the gloomy side of life? Why do we focus on how much better things once were or how much better life would be if I had this. Look to the Lord who made those promises in Isaiah 51 for you. There are other voices besides those of the bittern waste places!! You will have to suffer in the wilderness. We will face trials. Your faith grows the most in those hard places. How? By clinging to the promises of God, having faith that He will rescue you and fill you with joy even in the desert.
"Faith glories in difficulties because the power of God doth rest upon her" (Spurgeon).
We can only increase our faith in God's promises by dwelling not on our problems but on God's solution to the problem. Abraham and Sarah's faith led them to obey God, persevere, hope, wait, and expect God to fulfill His promise.
Spurgeon goes on to say that "Faith..has a great power of reception. Faith is the only faculty of our spirit which can grasp God's ideal:" God's love promises, purposes, power, and truth. This allows us to receive confidence, courage, and reasoning.
"Faith presents her emptiness to God, and opens her mouth that God may fill it." Spurgeon.
Commentator Guzik describes faith this way,
"Faith always uses the strength that God gives her. Pride would vapor with it, and doubt would evaporate it." Faith gives God all the glory. It boasts in Him.
"Faith..can wait the Lord's time and place". Faith is patient and does not look "for its reward this day or the next." It trusts in God's "infinite leisure".
God counted us as righteous when we placed our faith in His Son. He promised that our faith would make us righteous in His sight. He fulfilled that promise while we were helpless and broken in our sin. What makes us think that God would stop fulfilling His promises for us now that we are holy like Jesus? If God fulfilled His promises while we were sinners, how much more will He fulfill them now that we are righteous?
Lord, increase my faith. I want to trust in you more so that I may obey and experience your blessing in full. Help me to take my eyes off of the past, off of the desert, off of the trial. May my eyes look to you, the author of salvation, keeper of all promises, giver of all good things. With you, there is joy, gladness, thanksgiving, and song. Strengthen my faith so I may use your strength. All the glory to your name. Amen.
☎︎
The Girl Next Door
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