The consequence of doubting the provisions and protection of the Lord, of those momentary questionings of His promises in our lives brings fear. The subtle deceptions of our hearts in certain circumstances can cause us to stop thinking eternally, and begin to concentrate on our own desires, our flesh and the continuation of it in the manner that we would prefer.
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.” (John 21:18)
These doubts do not always indicate a lack of faith, if you have been studying to show yourself approved, if the Holy Spirit is blessing you to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, if you are honestly sincere in your desire to see His will done in your life for His glory, then your faith is not in question, your persistence and fortitude are.
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Gal. 6:9)
We are not as the waves of the sea tossed to and fro, we are those that the waves crash against as we stand on the Rock of our salvation.
Your faith my friends is not being put to the test, your desire to remain obedient in love is, your continuing acknowledgement of the Sovereignty of the Almighty in your life is. The honesty of those words you repeat often is, “Thy will be done.
“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matt. 26:39)
There wasn’t, so our Savior obeyed.
When we take our eyes off the prize, then something else must replace it, and anything beyond the ultimate prize that is the Lord Jesus Christ is only temporal and holds no eternal value. The young man rarely prepares for the physical pains of old age, the attractive woman can lose sight of her inner beauty as those days approach, the world will attempt to intrude upon that peace that passes all understanding in your soul, and tell you the future is bleak, that all hope is gone.
When we lose sight of eternity, there is nothing left to replace it but the temporal, this world, ourselves, and if we remain in those moments there is nothing left to replace that peace with but fear.
“And he said unto them, Where is your faith? (Luke 8:25a)
Not lost, but hindered, not gone, but temporarily covered over with doubts.
No one who has been born-again can lose their salvation, but in those moments we can set aside our assurance of it, not the promises of eternal salvation, not the fact that we have been justified and are today hid in Christ, but even worse, after the trial or tribulation has passed, no matter how lengthy or momentary, we can begin to doubt our faithfulness to Him who is always faithful.
“Thy will be done” when said with a sincere heart, will reveal these truths to you after those times have passed, after you have come out of the fire, after the doubts have passed, and you still find yourself standing in His presence.
“And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” (Deut. 31:8)
And we say the same to Him. We will never forsake Him.
These times are necessary my friends, like gold in the furnace heated up seven times, we are being tried and tested, transformed for usefulness in the hands of our Maker. Those on the Rock cannot be moved, but we can in this sense be shaken.
“And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.” (Heb. 12:27)
Our strength rests in the Lord Jesus Christ, in Him we trust in those moments of doubt, when the fear attempts to move us. Our thoughts are on the eternal, and though shaken at times, they do not move from there.
Everything that Satan can throw at us, everything the flesh can do to persuade us, all that wicked men will attempt to place in our path, all is to no avail to the sincere heart that rests in the assurances of His promises.
