Yet Again

You know what's kind of funny in a not-so-funny way? The fact that God has to continually prove His faithfulness to us not matter how many times He already has. This week was one of those times for me that, because of the circumstances I was facing, I chose not to remember the benefits I have in Him (Psalm 103) that He has proven to me countless times. I was faced with the reality that I'm not really that much different from the Israelites in the way they lived their lives.

Throughout the entire Old Testament we see a pattern of the Israelites following God as if their lives depended on it and then falling away and even worshipping other gods, much like some of us do today. It's not something I'm proud of, but I would say I probably have a pretty "Israelite" pattern of living in my own life, and it frustrates me that it's so easy to fall away from what I know to be true. I tend to be a pretty stubborn person, and when I make up my mind one way, it's quite a challenge to get me to do things someone else's way. I also like to be in control, which means the idea of giving complete control of my life to Someone else is one of the scariest things imaginable. But what is even scarier is seeing how NOT trusting God with my life ends up in such utter terror and dispair.

Something I found encouraging the other day was a passage from Hebrews 10:19-11. A close friend of mine read it with me after some pretty intense circumstances arose and I marveled at how it listed out the fathers of my faith from the Old Testament who lived their entire lives known for their faith in God. I had this little lingering thought that having my name known for centuries after my death because I had such utter faith in God would be probably the biggest privilege and honor I was ever allowed to have. It occurred to me that they had this thing figured out - there was nothing in this world that was going to separate them from the promises of God, and they were stinkin sure of that! The model of the lives of men like King David, Joshua, Abraham, Moses, Noah, and Isaiah are laid out right in front of us along side God's instructions for how to live a life of faith that is pleasing to Him. He makes it so plain for us, and just to have us ignore it and decide we've got it handled on our own.

Well, I can tell ya folks, that I certainly do not have it handled on my own and He is standing there just waiting for me to run to Him and let Him be my strength when I am too weak to stand and fight. And He has surrounded me with an entire army of fighters that act as His strength in my life as well. The thought of this puts me in such perfect peace and I know that with their help I can live by my life verse:
You keep me in perfect peace because my mind is stayed on You and I trust in You. ~ Isaiah 26:3