Confidence

"...If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won't He also give us everything else?"

- St. Paul, Romans 8:31-32

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift from God. That's why they call it the Present."

- Bill Keane

Last week I walked into my 3 year old granddaughter's home and Shiloh ran up to me and exclaimed, "PawPaw, pray for my baby sister, Zoey!" Zoey has not been eating well and the doctors are baffled and we're all concerned. So… without saying "Hello" or "How are you?" or "It's so nice to see you, Grandpa"... Shiloh makes a beeline for me with an urgent 911 prayer. I reply, "You bet I will pray, Shiloh.” And as I start to say something else, Shiloh abruptly interrupts me and defiantly declares, "No PawPaw… Right Now! Pray Right Now!" So I did… right then… right there. And after I said, "Amen"... she smiled and ran off to play. Two things struck me… her bedrock belief that Jesus heard our prayer and her solid confidence that Jesus would answer our prayer.

I think that's what Jesus meant when He called us to have the faith of a child. I think that's the child-like confidence that prompted the Apostle Paul to declare, "...that if God is for us, who can ever be against us." Let me give you a little pastoral advice. The biggest room in your brain had better be reserved for things you don't understand. If you have to understand everything before you will trust and serve God, you don't understand the concept of faith!

God doesn't always give us explanations. He did say, "In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen." (Genesis 22:14) Did you catch that? "It shall be seen." That is, there is a place God will one day take us where we will see things as God sees them. But that might not be today. Today, you may feel lost, confused, or alone. You may not know where you're going or what you're doing or why you're in such a fix.

But God is letting you know that He is with you, that He is for you and that Nothing will keep Him from you!

I heard someone say once that when you're in the will of God everything will be good, and there will never be any storms. Baloney!!!! One time Jesus told His disciples to go to the other side of the Lake. They got in a boat… did exactly what Jesus told them to do… they were in the perfect will of God… and ran smack into the biggest storm they had ever seen.

Be careful how you talk to people. Don't presume they missed God or that they're not in His will. You could be in the perfect will of God while all hell is breaking loose around you. No one had ever been as centered in the will of God as Jesus was when they nailed Him to a cross for you and for me. Listen… if you're in a storm today, lift up your eyes, and you'll see the Risen Lord Jesus, walking towards you on a storm-tossed sea, to be with you and to help you! He Promised!

So… take the advice of a 3 year old I know well: your God is a Rock… He will not Fail… even if there's a delay… Jesus always keeps His Promises!

Pastor Harry

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