Promises
“Exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4). Promises—the Bible is full of them, waiting for us in the simplicity of faith to claim them for our own enjoyment. Sometimes we promise with all good intentions but are not able to make good due to human impossibility. But here we have promises from a God with whom nothing is impossible and before whom we stand in unchanging favor because of our position “in Christ.” He wants us to make good on those promises in the energy of faith.
Fear
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid” (Isa. 12:2). Fear sometimes crowds into the heart, but the secret is choosing simply to trust based on the exceeding great and precious promises that God has given us in His Word. When God fills the heart, so does trust, and consequently the fears have to go.
Strength
“Thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isa. 30:15). The reason for returning is that the current of this world is away from the source of real and lasting strength, trying to get us to trust in ourselves. It is not a matter of being strong in ourselves that is the answer, but rather in resting quietly in His strength.
Majesty
“Lo, these are the borders of His ways; but what a whisper of a word do we hear of Him! and the thunder of His power, who can understand?” (Job 26:14 JND). Job had been speaking of the wonders of creation and then, when he considers HIM who made it all, he makes this eloquent statement. All that we hear of Him is but a whisper of a word. Isn’t it just marvelous to be able to know such a great God? And then to be able to look up in the simplicity of faith and call Him “Father.” The more we know of Him, the more we are brought to realize just how little we know of Him who fills heaven and the heaven of heavens.
Revelation
“But the people that know their God shall be strong, and shall act” (Daniel 11:32 JND).
“Being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead. . . . He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Rom. 4:19-21).
What gives strength is knowing who our God is and acting in the light of that revelation. Abraham did not consider what seemed to contradict naturally, but he chose to believe God. It is a strength that is evident not merely in youth but often in those of age who simply act in the light of the revelation of who our God is.
Obedience
Read Luke 5:1-11. It is interesting and important to give attention to the smallest of details of what the Lord has to say to us. Here Peter was told by the Lord to let down the nets. Oh, the blessing He wants to pour into our lives—when He gives, He gives in abundant measure. Peter probably thought the Lord, being a carpenter, did not know much about fishing, but he would comply and let down at least one net. But that meant (1) that his net broke, (2) he lost some of the fish and (3) he had to ask for help from the other boat and they both almost sank. There is only one response for us when our God speaks to us—simple, unqualified, wholehearted obedience. Let us simply set our thoughts aside and accept His thoughts.
Persistence
“Although he will not get up and give them to him because he is his friend, because of his SHAMELESSNESS, at any rate, he will rise and give him as many as he wants” (Luke 11:8 JND).
Here the Lord teaches that in asking in prayer we cannot be too shameless.
Think of going in the middle of the night to some person and, just because he is a friend, making him get out of bed just to give you some bread. Inside the friend tells him, “I cannot.” Still he persists, and in the end he gets all he needs. Most would be ashamed to do such a thing. But the Lord uses this to encourage the persistence of real faith. Because it is our God Himself, we cannot be too shameless in asking—insignificant or large. The persistence of faith asks, seeks and then, if necessary, knocks until there is the answer.
Do we really know what such supplication means?
R. Thonney