The apostle Paul instructs us, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually” (1 Corinthians 12:27). In another place he says more specifically, “The body is one and has many members, but all the members … are one body, so also is Christ” (12:12).
Have you been challenged to step out in a new direction that demands supernatural faith? Do you need God to work a miracle in your life so that you can realize your dream?
In God’s eyes, true faith has nothing to do with the size of a work you aim to accomplish. Rather, it has to do with the focus and direction of your life. You see, God isn’t as concerned with your grand vision as he is with who you are becoming. Indeed, no work, regardless of how great, is of any value to the Lord unless the lesser, hidden matters of faith are being done.
Psalm 56 is meant for those who have been wounded — whether by family, friends, or the words and actions of the ungodly. It is a word for those who love the Lord yet who shed tears and carry burdens that seem to grow heavier by the day.
Some believers wake up every day under a cloud of fear and despair. They may feel crushed and frightened because of financial problems. Others face serious health battles and insufferable pain while still others grieve over family members who are in deep trouble, perhaps in rebellion against the Lord.
You are probably familiar with the story of Job in the Old Testament. If so, you remember that Satan could not touch this godly servant of God without first obtaining permission from heaven. The Lord told the devil he could afflict Job’s body, he could take him through baffling trials, but he could not kill him.
Shortly after the resurrection of Jesus, Peter and John encountered a crippled beggar just outside the temple gate where they were going to worship. This man was carried to the gate daily to make his living by begging and he asked Peter and John for alms. Peter responded, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). The man was instantly healed and in utter joy he began running through the temple, jumping and shouting, “Jesus healed me!”
David prayed, “Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust” (Psalm 16:1). The Hebrew word that David uses for “preserve” in this verse is packed with meaning. It says, in essence, “Put a hedge around me, a wall of protective thorns. Guard me and keep me. Observe my every move, all my comings and goings.”
There exists a place in Christ where there is no anxiety about the future, no fear of calamity, affliction or unemployment. And there is no fear of falling or losing one’s soul. This place of total confidence in God’s faithfulness is called a place of perfect rest by the writer of Hebrews.
As Jesus lay silent in the grave after his crucifixion, Satan and his hordes gloated. They thought they had won an irreversible victory but all along, God’s foreordained plan was being put into action — a plan for resurrection life!
The Lord sent his Holy Spirit down into the very bowels of death and there he quickened the body of Jesus, raising him from the dead. Then out of the grave stepped our blessed Savior, right through the thick stone. And he emerged with this testimony:
If you tell the world that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, a God who can perform the impossible, they will watch to see how you react in impossible situations. And the devil looks on, too, hoping your faith will fail.
Beloved, God is searching for a people who will trust him fully. The Lord did not save us so we could bask endlessly in his goodness, mercy and glory. He had an eternal purpose in choosing each one of us and that purpose goes beyond blessings, fellowship and revelation. The fact is, God still reaches out to lost humankind, searching for a believing people he can shape into his greatest evangelistic tool.