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10th August 2008 2008

Walking by faith and not just by sight...

One of the oldest (and now associated more with children) songs we sing as churches has these words: We walk in the light...x3; walk in the light of God! The interesting facet in this hymn is that it bears the acknowledgement that our light as Christians, comes from the Lord. This is an integral aspect to our faith journey that cannot be diminished by anyone or anything because God's lighting of our way does not depend on human ways. It is God's most generous and consistent act in our daily survival which nothing and no one can ever take away or deprive us of.

One of the implications of the above understanding then is that even though we do not see God do it, we believe and know in our hearts that only He, has our best interests at heart. Our daily lives go on unhindered not due to any cleverness on our part but due largely to God's graciousness and ever obliging presence to see us through well, in each day.

Ours therefore dear friends, is to trust in His goodness. To keep hope alive for the many who are facing adversity, shortage of income and food; who also are faced with dealing with the ever rising cost of living. When we focus our attention not on what we want or see but rather on being faithful to the God of our salvation, then God is ever gracious to see us through whatever trials best us in life. Hence another of those wise words of a hymn comes to mind: When we walk with the Lord, in the light of His ways, what a glory He sheds on our way... .

Hard times therefore, are but an opportunity for us to let go and let God! We may not know how we will get through it all and indeed that is not crucial to our survival; of utter importance is how willing we are to trust implicitly in the Lord's purposes and let Him and only Him, direct our paths!

Keep walking in faith, God will see you through.

Jongi

No threat to Christian obedience is greater than God!

Settling down
When you were faced with a difficult and seemingly insurmountable obstacle in your life, how did coming through it serve to show you God's power? Share how your faith is tested when huge problems beset your life.

Worship
Magnify and praise God's Holy Name for His unswerving and consistent care of you. Make your praise time your own gift of sacrifice to God for all that He has done for you.

God's Word: I Kings 19: 9 - 18 & Matthew 14: 22 - 33

• Fear for our own survival can sometimes lead to spiritual blindness. Elijah, in fleeing from Jezebel, is ready to give up in verse 4. God does not abandon him though, angels tend to him and he gains enough strength to reach the place of revelation, where God awaits him. We should always bear in mind that God goes on before us in order to reveal His truth to us. Staying focused on God will open up ways for us in which to survive the harshness of the credit crunch!
• The place where we run to in times of difficulty is as important as the faith we have in what God can do for us. Going to Horeb, on mount Sinai, helps Elijah to link himself with the meeting place of his patriarch Moses but the journey to meeting God still calls for Him to discern how to know God's presence (see vs. 11-13 of I Kings19 ). Consider the place and the things you do in your search for a fulfilling and reassuring relationship with God. Being away from the church, the worshipping community of God in difficult time may be just the thing we need to avoid and return to the Lord for our lives to even become more fulfilling.
• When unsure how to go about renewing our hope during trying times, we need to pray for Peter's boldness. When we hear Christ's voice we can ask Him to call us to Him and be brave to get out of our own "shackling boats", walk on shaky (water) ground and keep focussed on our way to Jesus. Only Jesus can calm the storms in our lives.

Living God's Word in the world; our Witness:
Fear not, for the Lord is with you AND go tell everyone that God is near.

Concluding Prayer
Begin to cultivate a 'place of prayer' for yourself and covenant to meet with God in it regularly. Pray that your faith will be made stronger, emboldened. And yield not to fear of adversity but trust in God always..

Email Jongi to discuss these notes at revjzihle@btinternet.com