Devotions

Abraham didn’t stagger in his faith. Rather, he was “fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to perform” (Romans 4:21, NKJV). He recognized that God is able to work with nothing. Indeed, our Lord created the world from a void. With just a single word, he creates. In the same way, he can create miracles for us out of nothing.

When all else fails, when your every plan and scheme has been exhausted, that is the time for you to cast everything on God. It is the time for you to give up all confidence in finding deliverance anywhere else. When you are ready to believe you will see God not as a potter who needs clay, but as a creator who works from nothing. Out of nothing that is of this world or its materials, God will work in ways you could never have conceived.

How serious is the Lord about our believing him in the face of impossibility?

We find the answer to this question in the story of Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. Zacharias was visited by an angel who told him that his wife, Elisabeth, would give birth to a special child. Zacharias, well advanced in years, refused to believe it. God’s promise alone was not enough for him. Zacharias answered the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years” (Luke 1:18). Simply put, he considered the impossibilities. He was saying, “This isn’t possible. You’ve got to prove to me how it will happen.” It didn’t sound reasonable.

Zacharias’ doubts displeased the Lord. The angel told him, “But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time” (Luke 1:20).

The message is clear. God expects us to believe him when he speaks. Likewise, Peter wrote, “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to him in doing good, as to a faithful creator” (1 Peter 4:19).

No matter what crisis we face or what sorrow may come, our blessed Lord is leading and caring for us every step of the way. The economy could tank; our health could collapse, or our dreams could be derailed. No matter the trouble, our God is in front of it and is preparing the road ahead for us.

The children of Israel couldn’t wrap their heads around this level of faith, and God finally had to disown those he delivered out of Egypt. Why? Because they doubted and limited him after having been so miraculously delivered time and again. It isn’t simply that God would like for us to trust him in difficult times; he demands it. This is why scripture so strongly warns us against unbelief. We are told that it grieves the Lord and shuts us off from every blessing and good work he has promised. Our unbelief makes every promise “of no effect.”

Most of my life and ministry has been in New York City, and here faith is not a dead theology. Those of us who minister in this great city have to practice what we preach just to survive each day. If we did not fully trust the Lord’s promises and rely on Jesus with all that is in us, we would freeze up with fear and panic. The streets here are like war zones; people live in constant fear, and bystanders are often in the line of fire. The needs of hurting people are enormous, and the costs to care for them are heavy. If we did not rest in God’s steadfast promises, we would be overwhelmed.

We are not overwhelmed, and we are not afraid. As the problems grow worse, we grow stronger in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 46 has a passage to plant your feet on. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling” (Psalm 46:1-3, NKJV).

The Spirit has made it clear to me that all my praying is in vain unless I pray in faith. I could weep, fast, intercede, agonize and travail in prayer and still make no impact with the Lord at all unless I am doing it with simple, childlike faith.

God will not act on our behalf without faith. Scripture says, “Let not that man [the doubter] suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:7, NKJV).

Despite this, we often have very little confidence in God, so little faith in his willingness and desire to answer our heart’s cry. When we get to heaven, we will be amazed to discover all the blessings, peace and power we had at our disposal but did not appropriate because of our weak faith.

I am moved upon by the Holy Spirit to challenge you to increase your faith. The book of Mark relates the story of a man who brought his son to Jesus. “He has a mute spirit,” said the man. “When it seizes him, it convulses him and tries to destroy him. He is in great agony. I took him to your disciples, but they could do nothing. Please help my son!” Jesus was moved with compassion for this poor, suffering child and his distraught father. He said, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23). Hear the father’s raw honesty as he cries out with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).

Take your unbelief to the Lord and lay it at his feet. He wants to flood your soul with confidence in his willingness to over-answer your prayers with abundance, more than you can ask or think.

Do you want to increase your faith? When you go to prayer again, lay hold of the following scriptures and use them to reason with the Lord. He will not deny his own Word.

•  Psalm 62:8

•  Psalm 91:4

•  Psalm 56:3

•  Proverbs 30:5

•  Jeremiah 29:10-14

Hold on by faith! He will answer you soon.

Billy Graham once said, “Anxiety is the natural result when our hopes are centered in anything short of God and his will for us.”

When we believe we're meant to live a perfect life, there is a sense of a mandate to be flawless. It’s good to desire holiness and perfection, but the angst that comes from failure to attain them often generates anxiety, stress and fear that we aren’t right with God. We’re never at peace, and we can’t enjoy the fullness of the presence of God and a hunger satisfied because we think our perfection is up to us. It’s exhausting and unattainable.

All the anxiety in the world won’t make you a better person or a more perfect Christian. Rather than tormenting ourselves with what we lack, we are called to examine our hearts and offer our insufficiency up to him. Hear the words of the apostle Paul: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6, ESV).

The coastal forests stretching from central California to southern Oregon are home to the giant redwoods, some of earth’s oldest, most magnificent trees. These towering beauties are a literal look back through time. When we stand awestruck at the foot of an old-growth redwood tree, it’s hard to believe that it began its climb as a mere seedling. Although tiny and hundreds of years away from become a giant, the small plant is perfect at every stage of growth. Its size and vulnerability belie the greatness in its DNA.

We too, as God’s handiwork, are complete at every phase of growth when we receive our sustenance from him. When Jesus said, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48), he was compelling us to take on his perfection. His words and Spirit are the nourishment that pushes us upward. Our struggles to please others and impress God are real, sometimes lifelong battles, but the Lord offers a way out. “My power is made perfect in weakness,” he says (2 Corinthians 12:9). He takes the long view sees our great potential even when we are small and wavering.  When we entrust our lives to him, we are complete, perfect at every stage of growth.

Some people read the Book of Job and think that the driving question behind it is “Why does God allow suffering?”

The real issue behind Job, though, is “The righteous suffer, and we sometimes don’t know why.” The Bible openly admits that the righteous will suffer simply because of their acts of faith. “We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you” (1 John 3:12-13, ESV). “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).

As a missionary in the Middle East for many years, I saw believers endure persecution that would be unimaginable in the West, at least for now. A pastor swept off to jail where interrogators break his arms. A girl murdered by her own father for leaving Islam. It can become so easy to murmur in our hearts, “God, why do you allow this?” When we process this question outside of scripture, we will be tempted to bitterness and despair.

The righteous suffer for doing what is right. We deserve glory and get pain instead. It may feel bitterly unfair, and it is. That said, suffering helps to sever us from our umbilical cord to the world. I do not say this to make light of anyone’s suffering. Pain is never easy to address because it’s always complicated and deeply personal. However, it is also a stark reminder that we will only experience the blessings of heaven after death, not in this world. 

When we engage with suffering, especially when it’s for doing good, we may easily become overwhelmed. Meditating on scripture is never more important than at these moments. “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. …Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (James 5:7-8,11).

_{Mark Renfroe and his wife, Amy, have been involved in field missions work for 30 years. Mark served as the area director for Assemblies of God World Missions and currently serves as the chief missions officer for World Challenge.}