Saturday, November 1, 2008

C words

Some people think that if you are sick, you should not confess it. But, I have found it unnerving to be around people who are afraid to say what is going on in their lives. How can you help them if everything is "Great!" and you know that they are falling apart?

Perhaps we need to rethink what faith is. Faith is not calling those things that ARE as though they are NOT. Faith is calling things that are NOT as though they ARE. So, it's OK to say, "I have cancer." It is not a lack of faith to make that confession. You are saying what is. What else can you say once you've made an honest confession? What is not yet visible that you want to be visible? How about," I want to walk courageously through this. Jesus help me." Or,"I desire a heavenly country and at the right time, God will take me to the city He has prepared for me." Or,"By His stripes I am healed and I will trust Him to heal me His way." Notice how I give God a way out in my confession. Is that really faith?

I am in way over my head here. Most of the time I need to pray, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." I am afraid to assume what God wants to do because what if I misinterpret His Word and what if He does things differently than I think He promised and what if it shakes up my faith in God? So I try to keep my faith low-keyed. I just love God and trust Him to do what He will and I try to stay out of the way. It's probably because I am a bit gun-shy with the promises of God. I don't recommend it. Being gun-shy, that is.
I read something in Hebrews 5:7,8 the other day. It says that Christ, in the days when He was a man on earth, appealed to the one who could save him from death in desperate prayer and the agony of tears. His prayers were heard; (What do you mean, His prayers were heard? He asked to be delivered from death. He did not want to die!!!! His prayers were heard? ) and He was freed from His shrinking from death,...That's how God answered His prayer?! He asked God to please not let Him die and God answered Him by taking away His desire to run from death!!!! Wow! And aren't we glad God answered Jesus' prayers THAT way.
I guess that it is not God's promises that I doubt. I think it is faith in my own idea of how the promises will play out that I doubt. Maybe I'm not gun-shy afterall. Maybe I'm just a little confused.

C Words~Confession, Calling, Cancer, Courage, Country, City, Christ, and Confused.

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