The Daily Word of Righteousness

What Is Faith?, #10

Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me. (Jeremiah 15:10)

The patriarchs, prophets, and miracle workers of the Old Testament were not attempting to "do big things for God." A careful study of the Scriptures will make clear that the prophets of the Lord always acted in obedience to what God was showing them. God spoke first and then they believed. On occasion they were brought into much distress because of God's dealing with them.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6)

Daniel was not "daring to be a Daniel" when we was put in with the lions.

There definitely is a time to press forward in God, and pressing forward requires faith. There is a time to claim a promise of Scripture, particularly when the promise answers some strong need or desire. However, many of our prayers are not what we truly desire.

We are to hold the Scripture before God and ask Him continually to do His will in the matter. It is a good thing to blow the trumpet of prayer loudly in God's ear, so to speak. This is pleasing to God. He will receive the petition, modify it if it needs to be modified, and then give us the true desires of our heart.

This is different from announcing some personal ambition or good idea we have and attempting to believe until it happens according to our plan.

We are not to attempt to use God's promises for our ends but to employ them to enable us to live in victory and do God's will in the earth.

God spoke to Abraham, and Abraham went out "not knowing whither he went." Those who are living by faith know God leads us through many situations that we do not understand. We pray, we hope, we trust God, we are perplexed, but we do not know what is taking place or what will happen to us. We do know if we continue obeying God our future will be glorious. This is how the righteous live.

By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: (Hebrews 11:9)

To the individual who is living by faith the present world is an alien environment. He is a pilgrim, a sojourner living in a "tent." But one day he will inherit the nations of the earth.

For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:10)

To be continued.