Over the past few weeks, through study in Matthew and James, God has been teaching me a lot about what it means to follow Him. I’ve realized that three very big parts of that are testing/trials, faith in prayer, and embrace of the Holy Spirit. So here are some of my thoughts. Check it out, and I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments as well.
So, what do we already know about this stuff? Most of us probably know that it is important to have faith in prayer, that trials are used to help us grow in relationship with Christ, and the Holy Spirit has been given as a gift to us, and resides inside of us. But what does all this really mean and look like in life? Scripture has a lot to say, let’s dig in.
The Lord allows us to be tested in order that our faiths may be both revealed, and strengthened. When we face trials, our true colors show, and what we really think is true comes out. Yet, God uses this to sanctify us, so that we may be “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4). Yet, we do not have to do this on our own, the Lord will help. James says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). When we pray, if our heart lines up with the Father’s, He will give us what we desire. As Jesus says during the Sermon on the Mount – Ask, and you shall receive. Seek and you will find. If earthly fathers know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more does the heavenly Father give good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:7-11).
So then, why doesn’t God seem to always answer our prayers? And even when He does, why doesn’t He answer them with the answer we want. I wrestled with this a lot going through Matthew. After rebuking the disciples for being unable to heal someone in need, Jesus said “if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you’” (Matthew 17:20). While this verse is often used on fridges and in social media bios to encourage, I took issue at first glance. If Jesus is saying that literally anything is possible with just a little faith, why has no one ever literally moved a mountain? But after some thought, the answer became very clear: moving a literal mountain is pointless, and does not do much of anything to bring the kingdom. So the essence of what Jesus was truly saying is this, “prayer has immense power when it is in line with God’s will”.
But there is still an issue. How the heck can we know what God’s will is, so that we can pray accordingly? Because we are human and fallible, it’s hard for us to know God’s plan in everything. Let’s go back to the metaphor used in Matthew 7. If the behavior of God relates to the behavior of earthly fathers, we can see that sometimes even earthly fathers will withhold giving something to a child asking for it, either temporarily, or permanently, all for the good of the child. For example, a five year old boy might go to his dad saying, “Daddy, can I have a knife of my own to play with?” The answer is unsurprisingly a resounding “No!” Even though the father wants his son to be happy, he knows that giving a knife to a 5 year old is just not a good idea. Even though it is for his own good, the boy would not understand. To him, his dad seems to be unloving. Yet, down the road, the father might teach the boy how to use a knife, once it has meaning and the boy is ready. Or, perhaps, he will hold off altogether. Either way, it is the father’s job to lead the child, and the child does not get a say, because the father’s will is ultimately better.
Yet this is not the only place where Jesus makes a reference to Christians as children. In Matthew 18:3 he says, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus is commenting on the condition of dependence that children have. At the heart of it, all they can does is follow their father and his guidance, trusting that his plan is best, even if they don’t understand it. Rebelling against it will not bring about a different reality either, the boy still would not get the knife, but it would make the process a lot more challenging and conflictual. Instead, by submitting to the Lord’s will and authority, the words of Paul in Romans 8:28 are fulfilled- “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.” So, even when nothing makes sense and we have no idea what is going on, we are promised that God will work all things for our good, as long as we chase after Him.
Even though this sounds nice and encouraging, it is a hard truth to live by, and can even seem foolish if looked at a certain way. Why would we trust the will of something we don’t understand, and sometimes can never understand? Psalms 1:1-2 says, “Blessed is the man… who’s delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” So, while there is definitely a point where we must accept God’s plan even when we don’t understand, David says that we are blessed nonetheless when we pursue knowledge of the Lord and His character. And while there are some things that we will never understand, we will begin to find answers in Scripture. Some big ones being how we are meant to trust God even in the midst of trials, but also why we can pray with utter conviction that God can and will answer our prayers. (see James 1:2-3 and Galatians 2:20)
John 1 says that the Word is Jesus, and as we read the scriptures, we become more aware of who God is. As we are sanctified by the Word through the Holy Spirit, our thoughts and requests will begin to line up with the Lord’s. So, at this point then, we can have absolute faith when we pray, letting go of all doubt. James says that those who doubt in prayer are like “waves of the sea, tossing about, double-minded and unstable in all their ways” (James 1:5-8). Yikes. How is it possible to have that much faith? I feel like I doubt all the time, especially in prayer. How could I believe wholeheartedly in something I’m not sure of?
But Jesus came to this earth so that we would never have to believe in something we are not sure of, but rather trust in something we are sure of. We can now put our confidence in what the Lord has already done and that he can do everything he promised to do, that is faith (credit to Flatirons Church). Jesus addresses this concept head on in response to the unbelief of the Pharisees. In John 10:37-38 he says “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, and you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Jesus revealed that it is okay if you don’t trust Him on His word alone, but rather on the works He performed, which bore witness to His true character and power. And the greatest work he ever performed then is this: submission to death on a cross and subsequent resurrection. In the words of Jim Burgen, “If you promised you would die and be raised again, and actually did it, then I’ll believe everything you say. I’ll give my life to you.” Jesus has given us tangible proof of his power, so that we will believe. And he does this not just in Scripture but in our lives as well. As Jesus promises us the Holy Spirit, he says “I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you…In that day you will know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you” (John 14). So now Jesus has not only shown that He is in the Father, but we are also in Him, and He in us. So then, we have the Creator’s power residing inside of us, transforming our lives, shaping our future.
In the Bible, Jesus spoke powerful words, often revealing his truth. It sometimes came across harsh, other times convicting, and yet other times encouraging. But there was another side. His grace was shown through his actions, and his death on the cross. This showed his reckless love, watch the Passion of the Christ, and you will realize that. Christianity is composed of both grace and truth, we need both. So then, that truth is seen today in the Word, in the Bible and is used to instruct us and equip us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). But God’s grace is shown in our lives through the Holy Spirit, which is action vs word, and it sanctifies us and strengthens us through God’s power. For “The Kingdom of Heaven is not a matter of talk, but of power” according to 1 Corinthians 4:20.
So if all of this is true, then we have no reason to doubt. We have reason to have faith to trust in God and His power, and also His will. If we can understand this and live it out, submitting to the Lord and His ways, and pursuing both truth in the Word and grace in the Spirit, truly “all things are possible” for us (Matthew 19:26), even through the trial.
Feel free to comment, I’d love to discuss further with anyone who is interested! Thank you all for your support and prayer. If you feel like donating, it would be a massive blessing, just head to my homepage and you can do hassle-free there. The first big deadline is coming up, and the Lord has to move through you to send me on this trip. Furthermore, if you want to reach out to chat or discuss more, text or call me at 303-506-1872 or email me at [email protected]
Thanks again, God bless.
