Faith and God’s Promises

At the time Josiah began to rule, and for many years before, the truehearted in Judah were questioning whether God’s promises to ancient Israel could ever be fulfilled….

These anxious questionings were voiced by the prophet Habakkuk. Viewing the situation of the faithful in his day, he expressed the burden of his heart in the inquiry: “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear!” … And then, his faith reaching out beyond the forbidding prospect of the immediate future, and laying fast hold on the precious promises that reveal God’s love for His trusting children, the prophet added, “We shall not die.” With this declaration of faith he rested his case, and that of every believing Israelite, in the hands of a compassionate God….

The faith that strengthened Habakkuk and all the holy and the just in those days of deep trial was the same faith that sustains God’s people today. In the darkest hours, under circumstances the most forbidding, the Christian believer may keep his soul stayed upon the source of all light and power. Day by day, through faith in God, his hope and courage may be renewed. “The just shall live by his faith.” …

We must cherish and cultivate the faith of which prophets and apostles have testified—the faith that lays hold on the promises of God and waits for deliverance in His appointed time and way. The sure word of prophecy will meet its final fulfillment in the glorious advent of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as King of kings and Lord of lords…. With the prophet who endeavored to encourage Judah in a time of unparalleled apostasy, let us confidently declare, “The Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.” Let us ever hold in remembrance the cheering message, “The vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come.” 36Prophets and Kings, 384-388.
Conflict and Courage p. 242
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Prayer Requests
—-Please continue to pray for Bud. m
—-Please continue to pray for E and children. R
—-Asking for prayer for my wife Linda she desperately needs good sleep. Due to severe pain she hasn’t slept well in about 5 weeks. Erik
—-Please pray for my friend Brenda that her back will continue to heal and that she will not do too much and reinjure herself. Rose
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Dear Friends,

When my mother was a little girl, she and her little sister were watching their mother getting the dessert ready to serve. As she saw her mother placing a slice of cake and a scoop of ice cream on one of the plates that she was sure was for her little sister, my mother asked, “All of that for her?” My grandmother said, “No, dear, this is for you.” My mother replied, “Oh, what a little bit.” (My grandmother thought that was so funny that she told and retold the story. Yet it was no laughing matter and should have been dealt with right then for that attitude became stronger over the years.)

How often we are like little children, who always think that they deserve the biggest and best for themselves. We are like the Pharisees, who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.” Jesus speaks of this, “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14

How unlike Christ Jesus, our Lord, we are ” Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Phil 2:6-8 Think of it! The Great Creator of the Universe, He, Whom all Heaven adores, left all the glories of that place and came down to this dark and sinful world to live a perfect life amidst a faithless and perverse generation, and died the most painful of deaths because of His great love for even those who hated Him for His goodness.

Knowing of His great sacrifice for us, how can we be selfish and self-centered? How can we be looking around at others and thinking that we are better than they and more deserving of God’s great blessings? How often we get so busy beholding the mote that is in our brother’s eye that we forget to consider the beam that is in our own eye? How many times we say to our brother, “Let me pull out the mote out of you eye,” but we fail to remove that beam is in our own eye? With tears in His voice, our Loving Redeemer says, “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” (Matt 6:1-5)

May we, in lowliness of mind, esteem others better than ourselves looking for ways to benefit them instead of trying to find ways to benefit ourselves. (Phil 2:3, 4) May we set self aside and be loving and kind as is our Dear Saviour. May we, in all we do, in all we say, and in our attitude toward others bring glory to our Blessed Redeemer is my prayer.

Rose