Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10 NASB)
It doesn’t take a pandemic and a nation marred in disunity to render us faint at heart. Life can be discouraging even without that stuff.
And when we get a full dose and need to pause to catch our breath, life keeps on coming at us. To remain courageous, we must muster our faith.
Muster – to assemble troops as for a battle, to gather, to summon, to rouse
On a regular basis, we have repeated opportunities to gather and summon our faith. Like workouts in the gym, rousing our trust, when things aren’t smooth, builds muscle memory and strengthens our faith.
How do we muster our faith when we feel weak and God seems distant? Following are a few musts.
We Must Remember God’s Sovereignty
God is always in control. His purposes can’t be thwarted. He’s able to work all things together for His greater purposes.[1] Even the very hard situations we face are no surprise to God. In His omnipotence, the sinful choices by men, the state of this fallen world and the schemes of the enemy can not change what God is doing.
Joseph told his brothers, “And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”[2]
God used Jonah’s disobedience to illicit praise from the folks on the ship to Tarashish.[3]
The evil intent of the Jewish leaders to kill Jesus led to the salvation of all men.
God has entrusted us with each circumstance we’re in and desires us to trust Him and not our own understanding of our situations.[4]
We Must Orient Our Lives from God’s Greater Story
Paul tells believers that since we have been raised up with Christ, we’re to set our minds on things above, not on things of the earth.[5]
We need to see our lives from an eternal perspective, knowing God is at work for our greater good. He’s working all things for the purpose of conforming us into the image of Christ, not for us to experience a smooth ride.[6] It’s vital for us to understand this. If not, we can view God as a distant dictator, out to destroy our hopes and dreams.
We need to live now with the end in mind. Being more like Christ is what this life is about, not temporal happiness. For we died and our life is now hidden in Christ.[7]
We Must Realize Being with God is Our Highest Joy
The Bible has an overarching theme, woven into the fabric from Genesis to Revelation. Us being with God. We were created for fellowship with Him.
David, wrote that even in the shadow of death, he would not be afraid because He knew God was with him.[8] He also wrote that in God’s presence, joy is full.[9]
After crying out to God concerning the unfairness of life, Asaph concluded that God’s nearness was his good, not his lot in life.[10]
From a Roman prison Paul repeatedly instructed us to be full of joy in the Lord. Not just when we feel like it, but at all times.[11]
We Must Remember God’s Love for us Never Fails
No matter how often we fall short in actions and faith, God’s love for us never fails, it’s everlasting.[12] His lovingkindness never ceases. His mercies are new every morning.[13]
As believers, we are His children, a fact established before the world began.[14] Nothing can separate us from His great love.[15] His love for us can be described as deeper and wider and longer than an ocean and higher than the heavens. It surpasses our ability to comprehend.[16]
Prayer
Lord, we come to You now. You know the place we’re in. You’re not surprised by any of it. You’re with us and have allowed it for our greater good. Help us not to doubt Your ways. May we draw near to You and walk in utter dependence upon You. We were never to face these things alone. We depend upon Your strength in our weakness. Amen.
“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”[17] The Apostle Paul
[1] Ephesians 1:9-12
[2] Genesis 50:20 (NASB)
[3] Jonah 1:14-16
[4] Proverbs 3:5-6
[5] Colossians 3:1-2
[6] Romans 8:28-29
[7] Colossians 3:3
[8] Psalm 23:4
[9] Psalm 16:11b
[10] Psalm 73, 73:28
[11] Philippians 3:1, 4:4
[12] Jeremiah 31:3
[13] Lamentations 3:22-23
[14] Ephesians 1:4-5
[15] Romans 8:35
[16] Ephesians 3:14-19
[17] 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Previous posts in the series – Our Highest Joy:
Dealing with sadness and disappointment
.Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.
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