Post by MIRIAM JACOB on Nov 16, 2006 13:47:46 GMT -5
Relying on the Lord
By Martha Matthews
When the storms of life come your way how faithful are you? Do you draw nearer to God or do you become more distant? Do you trust him to work things out (in whatever manner he thinks is best) or do you worry a lot? Do you pray more or pray less? Is your faith based on what you are able to do, or, is your faith based on what God can do? You can be at peace no matter what is going on in your life, if you let God be in control and put your faith in him.
I thought I would share some things that are going on in my life, specifically with our house, to help illustrate what happens when you try to be in control as opposed to letting the God be in control.
We purchased our home in 1994. There were some problems with leaks, and after three years of struggling with contractor, things seemed to be fixed. "Seemed" being the operative word. In May of 2002 we decided to have a home inspection to see if there were any problems that we needed to go back to the builder with before our ten year statute of limitations on latent defects was up. After pulling up the linoleum and baseboards in the kitchen and kitchen nook, we found mold.
We had tests done and it was determined that we had Stachybotrys chartarum, a form of toxic mold. We had already isolated the area and now needed to have a mold abatement company remove the mold and treat the area. After having that done, the next step was to find the source of the leak and fix it. In the meantime, our refrigerator and stove were in the dinning room, we had no floor covering in the kitchen and nook, everything that was in the kitchen was in the front room, we couldn't use the kitchen and we didn't know how long it would take to find and fix the problem. What a mess!
How did I handle things? I took control of the situation, of course! I called in the inspectors, the specialists, took pictures and called an attorney. Did I pray about it? Although I mentioned it in a short prayer initially, I didn't continue to pray about it. As long as I thought things weren't too bad I was going to try to fix things on my own rather than taking it to God.
After a few days went by and I came to my senses. I realized that I was being VERY unspiritual. I was tense, grouchy with my husband, withdrawn from my friends, and in general, not much fun to be around. I had not drawn nearer to God. I had become distant. I had missed a few days of reading my Bible and I didn't pray. I justified it by telling myself that I had a lot to do to take care of the situation. I really didn't think I was being unspiritual. Then one morning as I was reading my Bible, I came across a passage that really jumped off the page at me. I had read this section of scripture before, but it had never spoken to me like it did that day. I was convicted, inspired and encouraged. So I prayed. I apologized to God and asked for his forgiveness. Then I decided to share the lesson I learned with all of you. Here is the passage.
Mark 9: 14-29
When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. "What are you arguing with them about?" he asked. A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not." "O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered. "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." " 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer." NIV
1. Take it to Jesus first.
Where do you go first for help? I usually call someone and then later, after I have done all that I can do about the situation, I pray. Of course, the Lord lets us make our own decisions. He doesn't push himself on us. He wants us to come to him voluntarily. As I read the scripture above, I saw myself. I realized how much I rely on myself and others before I rely on the Lord. Jesus wants us to come to him first. I think this is a key point. Before we can truly say we are relying on the Lord we must go to him first.
2. It Takes Faith
Where you go for help first is also a measure of your faith. It is one thing to know that you should believe in what God can do, it is quite another to put that principal into practice when the time comes. When things go on for a long time and there seems to be no end in site, we wonder if God is going to do anything. We think to ourselves "Doesn't the Lord see my struggles? Doesn't he care"? Then we give up on persevering in our faith. We stop giving it to the Lord. The fact is that God loves us so much that he willing to do whatever it takes to get us to trust in him; even if it means stretching our faith to the point that we don't think we can hang in there any longer. The boy in the story had been possessed almost his whole life. By the time the father asked Jesus for help he really wasn't sure that anything could be done. Jesus confronted him on his lack of faith. "If you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" The Lord wants us to keep believing in him even when things appear hopeless.
3. Do It by Prayer
After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."
Evidently the disciples were relying on their God-given ability but not relying on God. Jesus said they needed to pray. How often do you think you are relying on God but you don't pray? I can honestly answer that question by saying that I pray about 75 percent of the time. The other 25 percent of the time, my lack of faith is what prevents me from praying.
There are many scriptures on prayer, but my favorite is Philippians 4:6-7. It says, "Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and minds in Christ Jesus". We all want peace in our hearts and minds. The way to get it is through prayer; lots of it.
Jesus told the boy's father and the disciples, "Bring the boy to me". That's where we need to go also. Bring your problems to the Lord first, in faith, and by prayer. Then you will have peace.
About the author
Martha Matthews is the Executive Director of Christian-Homemaking.com. She helps Christian homemakers organize and manage their home. She also has a popular free monthly newsletter. To subscribe visit www.christian-homemaking.com
© 2002 Christian-Homemaking.com
All rights reserved.
By Martha Matthews
When the storms of life come your way how faithful are you? Do you draw nearer to God or do you become more distant? Do you trust him to work things out (in whatever manner he thinks is best) or do you worry a lot? Do you pray more or pray less? Is your faith based on what you are able to do, or, is your faith based on what God can do? You can be at peace no matter what is going on in your life, if you let God be in control and put your faith in him.
I thought I would share some things that are going on in my life, specifically with our house, to help illustrate what happens when you try to be in control as opposed to letting the God be in control.
We purchased our home in 1994. There were some problems with leaks, and after three years of struggling with contractor, things seemed to be fixed. "Seemed" being the operative word. In May of 2002 we decided to have a home inspection to see if there were any problems that we needed to go back to the builder with before our ten year statute of limitations on latent defects was up. After pulling up the linoleum and baseboards in the kitchen and kitchen nook, we found mold.
We had tests done and it was determined that we had Stachybotrys chartarum, a form of toxic mold. We had already isolated the area and now needed to have a mold abatement company remove the mold and treat the area. After having that done, the next step was to find the source of the leak and fix it. In the meantime, our refrigerator and stove were in the dinning room, we had no floor covering in the kitchen and nook, everything that was in the kitchen was in the front room, we couldn't use the kitchen and we didn't know how long it would take to find and fix the problem. What a mess!
How did I handle things? I took control of the situation, of course! I called in the inspectors, the specialists, took pictures and called an attorney. Did I pray about it? Although I mentioned it in a short prayer initially, I didn't continue to pray about it. As long as I thought things weren't too bad I was going to try to fix things on my own rather than taking it to God.
After a few days went by and I came to my senses. I realized that I was being VERY unspiritual. I was tense, grouchy with my husband, withdrawn from my friends, and in general, not much fun to be around. I had not drawn nearer to God. I had become distant. I had missed a few days of reading my Bible and I didn't pray. I justified it by telling myself that I had a lot to do to take care of the situation. I really didn't think I was being unspiritual. Then one morning as I was reading my Bible, I came across a passage that really jumped off the page at me. I had read this section of scripture before, but it had never spoken to me like it did that day. I was convicted, inspired and encouraged. So I prayed. I apologized to God and asked for his forgiveness. Then I decided to share the lesson I learned with all of you. Here is the passage.
Mark 9: 14-29
When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. "What are you arguing with them about?" he asked. A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not." "O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered. "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." " 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer." NIV
1. Take it to Jesus first.
Where do you go first for help? I usually call someone and then later, after I have done all that I can do about the situation, I pray. Of course, the Lord lets us make our own decisions. He doesn't push himself on us. He wants us to come to him voluntarily. As I read the scripture above, I saw myself. I realized how much I rely on myself and others before I rely on the Lord. Jesus wants us to come to him first. I think this is a key point. Before we can truly say we are relying on the Lord we must go to him first.
2. It Takes Faith
Where you go for help first is also a measure of your faith. It is one thing to know that you should believe in what God can do, it is quite another to put that principal into practice when the time comes. When things go on for a long time and there seems to be no end in site, we wonder if God is going to do anything. We think to ourselves "Doesn't the Lord see my struggles? Doesn't he care"? Then we give up on persevering in our faith. We stop giving it to the Lord. The fact is that God loves us so much that he willing to do whatever it takes to get us to trust in him; even if it means stretching our faith to the point that we don't think we can hang in there any longer. The boy in the story had been possessed almost his whole life. By the time the father asked Jesus for help he really wasn't sure that anything could be done. Jesus confronted him on his lack of faith. "If you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" The Lord wants us to keep believing in him even when things appear hopeless.
3. Do It by Prayer
After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."
Evidently the disciples were relying on their God-given ability but not relying on God. Jesus said they needed to pray. How often do you think you are relying on God but you don't pray? I can honestly answer that question by saying that I pray about 75 percent of the time. The other 25 percent of the time, my lack of faith is what prevents me from praying.
There are many scriptures on prayer, but my favorite is Philippians 4:6-7. It says, "Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and minds in Christ Jesus". We all want peace in our hearts and minds. The way to get it is through prayer; lots of it.
Jesus told the boy's father and the disciples, "Bring the boy to me". That's where we need to go also. Bring your problems to the Lord first, in faith, and by prayer. Then you will have peace.
About the author
Martha Matthews is the Executive Director of Christian-Homemaking.com. She helps Christian homemakers organize and manage their home. She also has a popular free monthly newsletter. To subscribe visit www.christian-homemaking.com
© 2002 Christian-Homemaking.com
All rights reserved.