Believe to See!

Here's another excerpt from our Harvest event we did in the fall of 2017 entitled, Awakening. Another perfect word for our times now.

---------------------

Psalm 27:13 says this, "Yet I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living.”

David penned these words with faintness of heart.

You can feel his grief.. But yet.... he was confident that goodness could be found in the midst of utter madness.

David believed that he would "see" things he needed the side of eternity… Support in affliction, grace in sin, strength against the enemy, deliverance from evil. He was already living according to the promise of the Messiah yet to come, "In this world you will have trouble – but take heart, I have overcome." (John 16:33)

We are born sinners into a world of wickedness. We reside in a fallen planet. An ear bent in any degree to the troubling news reports as of late, is sure to bring sadness and discouragement. But take heart!

It is un-Biblical to expect peace as the world sees it. Worldly peace was not promised. John 14:27 is our proof that He gave it to us in his preparation of His departure…”I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. and the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” You will have trouble. But faith isn't a matter of seeing then believing, but rather believing TO see!

Fear and panic come to us when we fail to learn about the goodness of God. If we take as much time to study His goodness as we did to fear about the future, and complain about the state of evil we're in… then we could confidently rest in His hope and not our hopelessness.
Listen - we are living in a crisis situation, it’s true, but maybe not because of the way you’re thinking… listen… We are living in a day that was foretold in scripture… Amos 8:12, “People will stagger from sea to sea and wander border to border searching for the Word of the Lord, but they will not find it.”

And I believe that we are the way for those in the wilderness.
You and I.
We are to be Jesus to those around - because it’s the only way He will be seen!
You and I - we are the conduit - - the vessel - - we are the way that others can find Him!
We think it’s our “right” to spread retaliating comments regarding the condition of our country, but I implore you to NOT behave that way! It’s simply NOT the Jesus way. The Jesus way for the Jesus people… Christians… or “little Christ’s” is simply to forbear!
To… Stay silent when you could contribute to evil.

We must possess a settled faith in His promises.

The evidences of God's goodness will come to those who believe first. But evidences of His grace and mercy and rescue are the product of faith… not the cause of faith. Our only safeguard during the evil happening here on earth is believing beforehand on our journey home.

God’s goodness is often a matter of faith rather than sight!

We must possess the attitude of a farmer in waiting. We plant goodness and faithfulness and sometimes it’s a long time before it appears above ground. Meanwhile - there’s a bleak, dreary field!

Faith in God implies faith in good. God is good. It’s NOT what He does…. but WHO He is! Oh who can tell the work that is being done beneath the ground!

My commentary = “We must hold to what we know of God’s goodness, and trust where we cannot know.”

We faint because we do not see it! We faint because we have lost vision of WHO God is! We can’t envision the protection promised! Why? Because we’re looking at it backwards… we are so used to seeing to believe - but we must believe to see!

- Wendy Bender, Inspire Ministries, 2017 (The Harvest Event: Awakening!)