Silas
Beloved of All
The question that burns in the heart when the storm rages is always, "Does God remember? Has He forgotten me in this?" But what we need to understand is that what God remembers is not bound by our frantic feelings. He is not keeping a ledger of your failings or tallying your wrongs against you. When you put your trust in Jesus Christ, a profound exchange takes place. God does not impute iniquity to you; He does not count your sin against you. There are no charges waiting in a file against those who believe. The blessedness of your life isn't found in your flawless performance, but the fact that God’s account against you is wiped clean.
The confusion often arises because we mistake God’s testing for His absence. He will deliberately place us in situations that push us past the breaking point of our own abilities and resources. Why? So that we will finally stop trusting in ourselves or the weakness of our own flesh, and learn to trust in Him. It is no difficulty to say you trust God when He is doing things exactly the way you think He ought to. But is that really trust? The genuineness of your faith is proven when you cannot understand what He is doing, when the path ahead is dark, and the promises seem to contradict your circumstances. Can you trust Him when He allows the enemy to make a spoil? When deliverance doesn’t come on your schedule?
We are so prone to give God deadlines. "I will trust Him until 2 o'clock this afternoon," and then the wavering begins. But a double-minded person is unstable. The call is to take a fixed position on the Word of God and refuse to leave it, regardless of the evidence around you. Like Abraham, we are to give glory to God and praise Him before there is any visible evidence of the fulfilled promise, simply because we have His Word and His promise. Our soul finds rest only when we finally release our grip and say, "Lord, it’s in your hands. I can’t do anything about it. I’m just going to trust in you."
This is possible because the new covenant is not built on the shifting sand of your faithfulness to God, but on the immovable rock of His faithfulness to you. The old agreement was predicated on man’s ability to keep the law, and man failed. This new relationship through Jesus Christ cannot fail because God cannot fail. Your standing before Him is sure, not because you are holding on with perfect strength, but because He has pledged Himself to His Word. The door is never closed to you. You can come anytime.
So how do you respond when you feel forgotten? You stop looking at the size of the problem and start recounting the testimonies of God’s faithfulness. Go back in your mind and read the record over and over again. How God’s people have always triumphed against insurmountable odds. He can cause the righteous to triumph whether with many or with those who have no power. His Word is settled in heaven, and His faithfulness continues to all generations. The very fact that you are still breathing is a sign of His sustaining ordinances.
The real danger in life is not the storm, but the sunny day. When you are possessing the land, when your bank account is full and you have eaten and are satisfied, then you are in great danger of forgetting God. You begin to attribute your success to your diligence or your strength. But in the desperate moment of crisis, when you have no power, you are perfectly positioned to see His strength made perfect. God is looking for people whose hearts are completely toward Him, so that He might show Himself strong on their behalf. He is not looking for your ability; He is looking for your availability and your trust.
So bring your confusion to Him. You don’t need eloquent words. The Spirit intercedes even through our groanings according to the will of God. Cry out, "For you are my hope, O Lord God, my trust from my youth." He has not forgotten you. He is working His eternal purposes, purposes that were set in motion before the foundation of the world, so that you might be to the praise of His glory because of your trust in Jesus Christ. He takes pleasure in that total trust. Commit your life into His hands and let your soul find rest in His unshakeable faithfulness.
The confusion often arises because we mistake God’s testing for His absence. He will deliberately place us in situations that push us past the breaking point of our own abilities and resources. Why? So that we will finally stop trusting in ourselves or the weakness of our own flesh, and learn to trust in Him. It is no difficulty to say you trust God when He is doing things exactly the way you think He ought to. But is that really trust? The genuineness of your faith is proven when you cannot understand what He is doing, when the path ahead is dark, and the promises seem to contradict your circumstances. Can you trust Him when He allows the enemy to make a spoil? When deliverance doesn’t come on your schedule?
We are so prone to give God deadlines. "I will trust Him until 2 o'clock this afternoon," and then the wavering begins. But a double-minded person is unstable. The call is to take a fixed position on the Word of God and refuse to leave it, regardless of the evidence around you. Like Abraham, we are to give glory to God and praise Him before there is any visible evidence of the fulfilled promise, simply because we have His Word and His promise. Our soul finds rest only when we finally release our grip and say, "Lord, it’s in your hands. I can’t do anything about it. I’m just going to trust in you."
This is possible because the new covenant is not built on the shifting sand of your faithfulness to God, but on the immovable rock of His faithfulness to you. The old agreement was predicated on man’s ability to keep the law, and man failed. This new relationship through Jesus Christ cannot fail because God cannot fail. Your standing before Him is sure, not because you are holding on with perfect strength, but because He has pledged Himself to His Word. The door is never closed to you. You can come anytime.
So how do you respond when you feel forgotten? You stop looking at the size of the problem and start recounting the testimonies of God’s faithfulness. Go back in your mind and read the record over and over again. How God’s people have always triumphed against insurmountable odds. He can cause the righteous to triumph whether with many or with those who have no power. His Word is settled in heaven, and His faithfulness continues to all generations. The very fact that you are still breathing is a sign of His sustaining ordinances.
The real danger in life is not the storm, but the sunny day. When you are possessing the land, when your bank account is full and you have eaten and are satisfied, then you are in great danger of forgetting God. You begin to attribute your success to your diligence or your strength. But in the desperate moment of crisis, when you have no power, you are perfectly positioned to see His strength made perfect. God is looking for people whose hearts are completely toward Him, so that He might show Himself strong on their behalf. He is not looking for your ability; He is looking for your availability and your trust.
So bring your confusion to Him. You don’t need eloquent words. The Spirit intercedes even through our groanings according to the will of God. Cry out, "For you are my hope, O Lord God, my trust from my youth." He has not forgotten you. He is working His eternal purposes, purposes that were set in motion before the foundation of the world, so that you might be to the praise of His glory because of your trust in Jesus Christ. He takes pleasure in that total trust. Commit your life into His hands and let your soul find rest in His unshakeable faithfulness.
