| The Ministry The Author The Book The Audio [ HOME ] |
|
|
WEEKLY ENCOURAGEMENT
Updated: Tuesday, April 1, 2008
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
I'm sure this is a very familiar verse to most of us, but lets think about what it not only says but what the truth of it will result in. We have a good example of this in Joshua 3:13, 15-16.
"And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.
And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest, That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho."
In this illustration, the priests believed what God said He would do. Now, human reason would have argued with Him. At this time of year, the snows from Mt. Hermon are melting, and cloudbursts are common resulting in sudden torrents of water rushing down the Jorden River. It is clearly flood time and it is way over it's banks. We are not talking about a little mountain stream, but rather of a major river that at some places is several miles wide. When it overflowed it's banks, the wild animals that lived near it, were forced into the surrounding villages.
Now God says, the priests should carry the ark of the Lord and enter these flood waters. Then the Lord will part the waters, so the children of Israel can cross over. Now, the question is, will the preists step out by faith and get their feet wet? Would you have stepped out?
We read in verses 15 and 16, that the priest did obey, and God did exactly as He had promised. The flood waters stood up on one side, the other side drained dry. The people passed over on DRY land!! Amazing, impossible, our human minds would say. But this is a fact!
The point I want us to see, is they stepped out BEFORE the waters parted. This is the results of Hebrews 11:1. It means we will act before we see, because we are convinced God will do what He says.
Look at II Chronicles 20. Here the Moabites, Ammonites and the children of Ammon have unitied and are getting ready to wage war against King Jehoshaphat, Judah and Jerusalem. They are greatly out numbered. The King goes before the Lord and in verse 12 he prays: "O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee." In verses 14-20, God reveals to them that He will fight for them. "Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multlitude; for the battle is not your's but God's"
The people fell before the Lord and worshipped Him. In verse 20, it says,"Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established:" But verse 22 is the visible ´proof of their faith in God. "And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten."
Did you see what they did? BEFORE the battle was won, they began to sing and to praise God, trusting Him to give the victory! Is that not what Hebrews 11:1 is talking about?
If you are God's child, then the battle is not yours, but His. He is the same mighty, soverign God of Israel. When He says as our Shepherd, that He will lead us through, that is exactly what He will do!! Let us believe God!!! Don't reason and think about the "flood waters", or the "mighty enemies" around you, but look to Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith.
Have you ever thanked Him in advance for the answer? That is what we see people doing in the above situations. You may say, but I don't see how He can fix or take care of my situation? The people in the story we have read about didn't either. But, they choose to step our on faith, trusting God to make a way. Have you ever thanked God in advance for the answer? Try it. Excercise the reality of Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." You will be amazed at the workings of Almighty God!!
THOUGHT TO PONDER:Do you thank God for meeting a need in advance, if not, why can't you?
|
- Sandy Hastings |
|
