As many of my friends know, I struggle with frequent
sinusitis, and lately have been in a bout of nearly 2 months, struggling with
symptoms. I even went to the doctor last week, and she prescribed some medicine
designed to help me to get better. Of course, I started taking it immediately,
and have gradually been feeling better. The immediate effect on me, though, was
that I had hope, and knew with this medicine, it was likely that I would be
feeling better soon! What a relief!
Now, let’s consider what would happen with a slightly
different scenario. I go to the doctor, she gives me the prescription, and I
walk out the door, never stepping foot into the pharmacy to get my medicine,
much less take it. It remains sitting on the shelf at the pharmacy – it exists,
it still is potent, but it has no impact on my symptoms. Friends who care about
me would be quite frustrated, wondering why I wouldn't just go take the
medicine!?
Of course the analogy will break down, the further you take
it, but consider the connection. We have the best “Doctor” ever, who has
offered medicine (i.e. the promises of His Word that will ALWAYS work!), and
yet we so often leave those promises sitting on the shelf – in His Word, and we
never apply them to our lives. What is the effect on our lives? Are those
promises still potent? Definitely. In fact, those promises that are not
conditional – in other words, they don’t require an action or attitude on our
part – will actually still be true in our lives. But we’ll miss out on a major
part of the life He offers.
The first part we miss is those conditional promises.
Conditional promises like 1 John 1:9 come to mind. This week, I did something
that was a flagrant sin to my Lord. I knew it, and He knew it. And he made sure
I was convicted of it. Thanks to my child-hood Good News Club teacher, I have
memorized 1 John 1:9, so I certainly know that God has promised in that verse
that if I confess my sins, he will forgive me. But now I have two choices. I
could continue on, without taking the medicine of God’s promise, wallow in my
sin, and feel guilty. Very easily, this would turn into a waning ministry: I
know my relationship with God is hindered, and know that because of that, the
power in ministry is hampered.
How might this change if I were to go with Option 2? This would
involve actually seeing the promise of God, and confessing my sins. That’s my
part. But to stop there would be nearly as foolish as not confessing in the
first place. It is still tempting to be swallowed up by guilt. I had to ask
myself: Do I really believe His promise to forgive me? How will that impact my
actions and attitudes if I truly believe He will forgive me? For one thing, the
guilt has faded away. When thoughts of inadequacy for ministry have come in, I
have chosen to trust God that He has forgiven me, and to have confidence that
it’s only through his mercy and strength that I am equipped for ministry. Then,
guess what attitude has come to prominence in my heart? A tremendous gratitude
has flooded me, resulting in constantly having praise on my lips and my heart.
On top of that, the gratitude has resulted in a desire and hunger for more of
His Word and a more eager heart for ministry.
All of this has happened in a non-tangible way. How have I
been able to move forward in forgiveness? By faith. I’ve had to actually
BELIEVE God’s promise. And if I truly believe it, it will turn into changed
attitudes and actions.
Going back to our analogy, let me remind us that if we
refuse to use the promise medicine that He’s provided, we are also missing out
on the hope that those promises offer. As we go through trials, it’s easy to
get mired down into the discouragement, stress, and pain that comes with just
looking at the circumstances.
College students usually come with the stigma of “poor
college student”… you know… it comes with the ramen noodles, and water diet.
And of course, if you think of a missionary, it somehow seems sacrilegious if
they AREN’T living from paycheck to paycheck (another topic for another time).
Well, to give you an idea of the challenges we’re facing right now, I’m a
missionary, married to a college student. Getting the picture? I’m not saying
this to complain, but to share the current vivid picture of this premise in my
life.
In this situation, many times I have no idea where the rent
money will come from. Or wish that I had just a little more grocery money (don’t
worry, neither of us are starving!). My human response is to worry, stress,
complain, and generally “freak out” when I look at the circumstances. But to do
that is to keep that medicine on the shelf in the pharmacy. Instead, the
process God has to keep reminding me of, is to take that medicine off the
shelf, and take it into myself. Lately one of the verses that comes to mind is
Philippians 4:19 – that “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches
in glory.” On a moment-by-moment basis I must choose to believe this promise.
God is so amazing and blesses me so much as he give me tangible reminders that
it is true. Reminders like providing money for all the bills and our tithe with
a dollar left over. Not all moments are like that though. I don’t ALWAYS have
everything I need at the moment that I THINK that I need it, so most moments
require FAITH. This is a choice to trust that God will keep his promise. Will
God provide for my needs if I don’t believe it? Yes. He’s promised it. And this
is not what I would call a conditional promise. It was written to believers,
but I don’t see anything there about “My God shall supply all your needs except
your rent money”. Or “My God shall supply all your needs as long as you’ve been
perfectly good for the last month”. I’m so grateful that He IS keeping that
promise. Now my choice is this: Am I going to freak out, complain about how
tight things are, or lose sleep, wondering where in the world the money will
come from for that upcoming bill? Or am I going to take my Promise Medicine? To
do that, I need to take each worrisome thought captive, and change it to the
truth by remind myself that God WILL provide for all my needs. THEN I need to
act like it. That means “No whining!” So… if I stop whining, quote verses about
God’s provision for me, and truly believe it, will that coerce God into
providing for my needs immediately? Nope. And seldom does He actually provide
on my time-table. So what is the profit of believing the promise, if he’ll do
it whether I believe it or not? I can tell you from experience that the more I trust,
the more peace I have. I worry much less, get better sleep, and don’t have to
spend all my time trying to figure out how *I* can solve this problem. And then
when He DOES provide, I get to give glory to Him for answering my needs with
all the more gratitude.
Does this happen overnight? Not even close. Apparently,
after over 12 years in full-time ministry, and nearly 30 years of my Christian
walk, there are still things I need to learn in this process, as God still
keeps bringing me through this. When one part gets easier, he teaches me more
in a different area. I say this not to discourage you, though. Rather, what a
joy to continue to grow closer to God in faith and in effectiveness!
I hope you've picked up on the key word in this. Promise is
a good word, but the Promise Medicine is FAITH. It’s not easy to appropriate.
But to have His promises and not apply them is as foolish as not taking the medicine
offered by my doctor. So… what promise has God made that YOU need to apply to
your life today?
When I first shared about the challenge to trust God’s
promises with a dear friend – a relatively new believer, her first question was
“Where do I find these promises?” She hadn't grown up like I did, learning and
hearing all the promises of God’s word, so didn't know where to start. She did
some research and found many promises for many occasions. How about if we give
her (and ourselves) a great resource of those promises by accumulating them in
a list on the sidebar of this blog? Would you start by commenting below with a
promise (or two or three!) that has special meaning to you right now? Thank
you!
