No comfort for the soul,
They drift as tempest roll.
No warmth in the cold,
As slaves they have been sold.
But now harken, a voice!
Jesus gives a sweet choice...
To have a Father,
And reap riches untold.
Trust in me ---
I'll lead you to living waters.
Trust in me ---
I'll be watching o'er you.
Trust in me ---
I'll see you through the storm.
Trust in me ---
Ye poor and forlorn.
© Bethany Carson
There are many promises God has made to His children. Now when someone promises you something, is it up to you to fulfill that promise? Of course not, unless it was a conditional promise such as Jesus said: "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21:22 and "You are my friends if you do what I command." John 15:1. The conditions that God sets before us often are, believe and do. In Matthew 9:29 Jesus touched some blind men's eyes and said, "According to your faith be it unto you." Now this is a difficult condition because you must believe He is Lord and He is able to do all things, and most of all you must believe that He is willing to have mercy on you.
Now in believing we must not doubt. Ask yourself are you praying to a living God or are you just making a wish. Do you know Jesus or do you just know about Him. A man once said to Jesus concerning the healing of his son, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief. Another time the disciples asked the Lord to increase their faith. Our faith does not need to come from within ourselves, but it is necessary that it comes from Him who is the source of the true living water. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. His way is the right way. His truth is the truth and He is the life and the very source of life.
Jesus had faith that His death was necessary for our atonement so that we could be reconciled to God. We are begotten onto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We are begotten, born again, quickened, and converted, to become children of God. If we are God's children then He is our Father. Fathers want what is best for their children, and this is true with the Lord. A child receives what his father gives him with gladness and simplicity. He takes his father's word as truth; he believes his father will take care of him. We as God's children must do the same. As we trust in Christ in our troubles we will gain experience that He does hear us, and that He does help us, and that He does see us through. We can walk closer to Him knowing that He loves us even before we loved Him. Deuteronomy 11:22 tells us to love the LORD our God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him. Hold on, stick close to Him. Have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Trust in Him.
--- Betty
but we also glory in tribulations,
knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Now hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts
by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.