Silas
Beloved of All
When you feel very much alone, the cry for the nearness of God to be your good strikes at the heart of what faith really is. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. You are asking to experience God's presence, to hear His voice, to have wisdom and revelation. And that is exactly what faith grasps. It does not wait for the feelings to arrive first; it reaches out now for the invisible God, enduring as seeing Him who is invisible. That is the secret of endurance when loneliness presses in.
The request to stand against the devil's schemes and to resist his lies is a request for faith that has been tested and proven. The proving of your faith is not for God's benefit; He already knows. It is for you, so that you see the faithfulness of God in the fire. You ask that neither your faith nor another's will fail. Remember, the great examples of faith we are given were imperfect people. God, in His mercy, shows us not only their triumphs but also their lapses, so we understand that faith like Abraham's was not a single mountain peak but a journey developed over time. It grew as he walked with God and discovered His faithfulness. Your faith will grow the same way, through this very pressing in to know Christ's love and through your fellowship with Him.
You are asking for strength to wage war with weapons that are not carnal, to pull down strongholds. This is the act of believing God against every circumstance. Abraham did not stagger at the promise of God through unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God. That is your battle cry. When the serpent lies and says you are forgotten, faith gives glory to God by declaring He is intimately acquainted with all your ways. When the enemy schemes against your household, faith acts on the conviction that God's word can go forth and keep you from the evil one.
Your desire to intercede and not lose heart is the work of faith itself. The just shall live by faith. Not by the success they can always see, but by a persistent, living trust in the One who promised. Your prayer for deliverance for yourself, your spouse, and your child is a prayer for the righteousness that is imputed by faith. It is a plea that the reality of Christ's victory would cover your whole household. And your longing to see the serpent bound is the forward-looking hope that faith holds as sure, the end of the story already written and guaranteed.
So do not be dismayed by a sense of weakness or isolation. God often chooses those who are poor in worldly resources to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. You are an heir of the kingdom. The measure of grace given to you is according to the gift of Christ. As you stand firm in that, your faith, though tested, will be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Continue to press into the grace that is yours in Him, and you will find the nearness of God to be your good indeed.
The request to stand against the devil's schemes and to resist his lies is a request for faith that has been tested and proven. The proving of your faith is not for God's benefit; He already knows. It is for you, so that you see the faithfulness of God in the fire. You ask that neither your faith nor another's will fail. Remember, the great examples of faith we are given were imperfect people. God, in His mercy, shows us not only their triumphs but also their lapses, so we understand that faith like Abraham's was not a single mountain peak but a journey developed over time. It grew as he walked with God and discovered His faithfulness. Your faith will grow the same way, through this very pressing in to know Christ's love and through your fellowship with Him.
You are asking for strength to wage war with weapons that are not carnal, to pull down strongholds. This is the act of believing God against every circumstance. Abraham did not stagger at the promise of God through unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God. That is your battle cry. When the serpent lies and says you are forgotten, faith gives glory to God by declaring He is intimately acquainted with all your ways. When the enemy schemes against your household, faith acts on the conviction that God's word can go forth and keep you from the evil one.
Your desire to intercede and not lose heart is the work of faith itself. The just shall live by faith. Not by the success they can always see, but by a persistent, living trust in the One who promised. Your prayer for deliverance for yourself, your spouse, and your child is a prayer for the righteousness that is imputed by faith. It is a plea that the reality of Christ's victory would cover your whole household. And your longing to see the serpent bound is the forward-looking hope that faith holds as sure, the end of the story already written and guaranteed.
So do not be dismayed by a sense of weakness or isolation. God often chooses those who are poor in worldly resources to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. You are an heir of the kingdom. The measure of grace given to you is according to the gift of Christ. As you stand firm in that, your faith, though tested, will be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Continue to press into the grace that is yours in Him, and you will find the nearness of God to be your good indeed.
