We know that through the centuries those who have trusted in Jesus have suffered much. Since the time of the cross they have been martyred, some viciously. Some New Testament believers lost their houses and lands and lived in caves.
Beloved, no true preacher of God’s Word will ever promise that you won’t suffer, that you won’t lose property, that your lifestyle will be protected. But there is a “great cloud of witnesses” in heaven who would say to all of us who love Jesus:
If I am to live by my faith, I must do as Noah did and build an ark to ride out the storm.
“By faith Noah . . . moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house” (Hebrews 11:7).
The ark that Noah built represents Jesus Christ — and there is no other safe place on earth.
When Isaiah prophesied of a king coming to reign in righteousness, he was clearly describing Christ:
Right now, I believe the Church needs a refresher course on God’s majesty and power, much like Job was given. The Lord said to Job, in essence:
“What is all this dark, hopeless talk I hear from you? Stand up and listen to Me. I laid the foundation of the earth; I made the light and the darkness; I created the rain, snow, ice and wind; I gave wings to birds and I feed the beasts of the field. I control all of nature.
“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4, my italics).
The phrase I emphasize here is familiar to Christians all over the world. For centuries “living by faith” has motivated the daily decisions of believers in every generation.
Over the years we who have known the Lord intimately have experienced many miracles. We have been blessed by His deliverance from great trials and temptations.
Decade after decade we have proven God faithful in the midst of dire circumstances. We have known Him as our source of strength; we have been touched often by Christ’s healing hand; we have known the comfort and guidance of God’s Spirit at all turns. We have great knowledge of the Lord’s many precious promises because we have seen Him fulfill them to us faithfully over the years.
“Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men” (2 Corinthians 3:2).
I have a question for you: What is your life saying to those around you? How does the book of your life read? What kind of teacher is your life?
So many testimonies pour into our office. We read stories about those who are filled with hope despite job loss; who have peace in spite of physical sickness; who walk with courage in the face of endless suffering. And they all have this in common: They pray.
PRAYER, THE COMMON DENOMINATOR
In Deuteronomy 11 we find Israel at the Jordan River about to cross over into the Promised Land.
Before God’s people went into Canaan, Moses called them together for a special message from the Lord. Remember, this wasn’t the generation that was doomed to die in the wilderness for their acts of disobedience. Rather, this was the generation that followed those faithless ones. When their fathers crossed the Red Sea, these people were still young, ranging in age from infancy to twenty years old. Now many of them were over fifty, and their own children comprised the third generation.
The writer of Hebrews says to his readers, “By this time you ought to be teachers” (Hebrews 5:12, my paraphrase). These are strong, bold words. Who exactly is the writer addressing here? The book of Hebrews shows us he is speaking to believers who have been well schooled in biblical truth. In other words, those reading his letter had been sitting under powerful preaching by many anointed ministers.
Now, in chapter 5, the writer says to his readers:
Some months after 9/11, a New York City newspaper ran this headline: “CITY OF JITTERS.” The Department of Homeland Security had warned that a planned terrorist strike had been uncovered, and the terror alert had been raised to code orange.
HIDDEN FEARS
That same day, a New York City police officer spoke to me about the uncertainty and alarm within the police force and fire departments. Their macho exteriors hid secret fears because most of them had lost friends during the 9/11 attacks.
I know the Bible says Satan has come down in these last days with great wrath (see Revelation 12:12). But I can’t conceive of God allowing Satan and his forces to freely assault the church without the Holy Spirit coming in greater power and manifestation.
The Bible says:
Evil men will grow more and more wicked
There will be a great falling away
The love of many will grow cold
The faith of many will be shipwrecked
False preachers will come to deceive many
People will love pleasure more than God