Faith AND Trust

With so many catastrophic and unexpected life-changing events this year that have literally knocked people to their knees, my prayer is for complete and TOTAL trust in the Father for each person affected.  He sincerely wants what is best for us, with eternity in mind.

The doctor’s words seem to float around the room above my head, circling and dipping, but never really landing in my mind to ease their way into my heart and soul.  “Cancer.” “Biopsy.”  “Tumor.”  “Surgery.” “Chemotherapy.”  “Radiation.”  “So sorry!”  No, No!  Those words were not for me.  It was as though I was in a whirlwind and soon the cyclone would stop and I would wake from this awful nightmare. 

I already had painful fibromyalgia to deal with on a daily basis.  Surely God would not allow cancer, too.  No, I would not accept this.  This diagnosis was someone else’s.  The records must have been switched in the lab.  But… as days turned to weeks, and weeks to months, I came to accept that I had Triple Negative Breast Cancer and would go into “warrior mode” for a few years and fight with God’s assistance to eradicate it from my body!

Now I had strong faith.  Have always had faith in God and His healing power.  I got up every morning and felt my breast to see if the lump was gone.  I had people praying for me from coast to coast, and I believed that I could be instantly healed, and my worries dissipate just like the lump.  I knew healing was possible because I had been healed of migraine headaches, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and was miraculously spared from death in a car crash.  My faith was in place for another instant miracle. 

But God had another plan for my healing.  It was time to learn total trust, trust that would bring security, confidence, assurance, and ultimately JOY.  My FAITH said I could be healed instantly.  But TRUST said if I wasn’t healed, God was still in control.  I heard a preacher at Pinelake Church say, “Faith told Jesus that 10,000 angels could release Him from the cross, but trust in the Father told Him there was joy on the other side of suffering.”  (Hebrews 12:2)  It’s easy to have faith when the results are going to be in our favor, but to say, “thy will be done,” and not know what path He will lead us on is a different scenario.  We pray in faith to obtain an end result, but when we step it up a level to trust, we know that even when the end results are unfavorable, God has a better plan.  We have faith for the rains to stop, but it takes deep trust when the home is flooded and life’s treasures are gone forever.  We have faith that our love one will be healed, but trust God’s plan when His ultimate healing is for them to come home to be with Him. 

How many times have I ended a prayer with, “my faith and trust are in you, Lord?”  I would lump the two together thinking,“I have faith to believe you will give me whatever I ask for” (enter spoiled child). But when I learned to separate faith and trust, and include, “your ways are higher than mine, and your thoughts are above my thoughts; therefore, you know what is best for my life,” and, “all things work together for my good,” my prayers became more powerful and my relationship with God my Father more absolute.  I’m still not to the point that I say, “I’m glad I had cancer," but I’m certainly thankful for the many God-lessons I learned in the process.   

WHAT ABOUT SATURDAY?

WHAT ABOUT SATURDAY?

(Note:  I realize that the days of the events of the crucifixion and resurrection have been debated, but for this post, I want to go with the crucifixion being on Friday and the resurrection on Sunday. And allow me the liberty to use my imagination a little… )

All the focus during the Easter season is on Friday’s crucifixion and Sunday’s resurrection, but I wonder, “What was happening on Saturday with the disciples of Christ?”   What were they experiencing emotionally in this “pit” they found themselves in?  Disappointment, despair, fear, confusion, sorrow, hopelessness, and grief all fought for the chance to darken their minds and make them disbelieve all the promises that Jesus had made as he walked with them daily. 

They were confused because Christ had told them He would rise on the 3^rd day.  But He had also said He would establish a Kingdom and He had not.  Oh how they wanted to be rid of Roman oppression and He had not taken care of that for them.  They were frightened and  perhaps they were all meeting together on that Saturday, hiding in fear that the Roman soldiers would find them at any moment and drag them away to be beaten, or worse, crucified, because they were Christ’s followers.  They were following this man that leaders (even religious leaders) had labeled “heretic” and “false prophet.”  For them to be so angry with Jesus as to punish and crucify Him as they did, they would think nothing of punishing or killing His followers. 

They were sad because Jesus had become such a friend and companion to them and now they had lost their true Friend and Teacher. Their grief was almost unbearable as they reminisced about all the wonderful and amazing times as they had gone from place to place with Him and watched Him perform miracle after miracle.  And then He would take the time to draw them aside and personally share the great mysteries of the gospel.  Oh, how could He be gone from them now??

Perhaps one of the disciples would say, “Remember, He said if they destroy His temple, He will raise it up in three days.  Do we really think this can happen?”  Another would say, “That’s just too hard to comprehend.  But you know, we saw the Savior raise people from the dead all the time.  Remember Lazarus?”  Maybe another would ask, “How will He ever establish a Kingdom now?  The rulers and leaders and thousands of people now believe He was a heretical leader and so He can not rise up and overthrow the Roman government!  Even if He did rise from the grave, He would have no power here! And we will all surely be killed if we even try to follow Him now.”  Oh, they were so confused!  And rightly so.  I can feel their anguish.  I can sense the lack of faith at this point.

The disciples had not yet experienced the outpouring of the Holy Ghost – that infilling Spirit that would give them wisdom and power.  And faith and hope.  Oh, if they could just have seen a few weeks into the future!  This “Saturday” was dark and gloomy and hopeless, but OH, SUNDAY was coming!!

Sometimes  we may find ourselves on a “Saturday” in our walk with Christ.  We’ve been following Him, serving in His Kingdom, seeing miracles, doing what we consider to be “His will.”  Then, all of a sudden, we are thrust into a dark place.  It seems as though our Best Friend, our Confidante, our Healer, and our Teacher,  is gone into hiding.  We pray, but our confusion, doubts, and disappoint all seem to block our view of a loving Christ that we previously walked hand-in-hand with.  We find ourselves in puddles of tears and can’t see anything but darkness and gloom.   BUT WAIT…  Your SUNDAY is coming!

Get up early!  Run to the tomb!  Get on the Road to Emmaus!  Climb to the Upper Room!  Cast aside your worries and anxieties and embrace the Risen Savior. Touch His hands and His feet – feel the nail scars and wounds from the sacrifice He made for you. Allow the light from the open tomb to illuminate those dark places of fear and anxiety!  Let His Spirit bathe your soul with joy hope and peace! Be glad that you don’t have to live in the “Saturday” of your life, because while you’ve been in the “pit,” He has been working on your behalf all the while!   

REJOICE IN ADVANCE – SUNDAY IS COMING!!