Trust in Your Heavenly Father
Dear Friends,
When I was 8 years old we moved from the town of St. Leonards to the village of Buxted. One of my favourite memories was when our family would walk through Buxted Park. It was a lovely green area and home to many deer. It was a great place to go hunting for chestnuts on an Autumn Saturday afternoon.
On the walk we would pass a small brick building. My Dad told us it was called a pillbox. My sister, Trina, and I had never seen one before but there are several throughout England and they were built during World War Two as a form of defence against the enemy.
Trina and I would love to get our Dad to help us up on to the top of it, so we could then have a better view of our surroundings and be high up. All children seem to have a fascination with being 'King of the Castle'.
The problem came when it was time to get down! It was too high for us to jump. Once again we needed help from our Dad.
Dad would say "Jump and I'll catch you. It's ok." It always took me a while to make that leap of faith. I would stand at the top and fears and questions would fill my mind, such as, what if he drops me, what if I fall, what if I'm too big, too heavy? But every time my Dad caught me.
If you were to ask me at the time do I trust my Dad, then my answer would be, of course I trust him, he's my Dad. But it's not enough just to say I trust him, I had to exercise that trust in him. When I took that step or leap of faith, that was evidence of my professed faith in him.
We have a Heavenly Father, who is even more worthy of our trust and faith. He never lets us down, he never fails us and he's always there for us. "But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness." Psalm 86:15 (NLT). You and I can say we have faith in God our Father, but it's not enough for us to just talk about our faith. To talk about trusting God, but then not exercise it, means little. We need to show our faith in God. It's about having a working faith and a faith that works. In James' letter he wrote about the example of Abraham's faith: "You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete." James 2:22 (NLT) and so it is for us too.
It can be scary to take a step or leap of faith but we can trust God. The more we place our faith in him, the easier it becomes. Each time, as we see God come though for us, our faith grows stronger. You and I can be living proof that faith in God works.
"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." Hebrews 11:1 (NLT). The Message paraphrase puts it this way: "The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd." (v1 and 2)
As I write this it's only a few days before Father's Day here in England. Why not choose this Father's Day to put your faith in your Heavenly Father. Stop trying to do things on your own or in your own strength. Instead, as a child of God lean on him, rely on him.
Let's also encourage one another in our faith. Paul wrote to the Roman Christians and said this "When we get together, I want to encourage you in you faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours." Romans 1:12 (NLT).
To Think About:
Would you say that you trust God?
How does your faith in God show in your actions? Do you have a working faith?
What are some of the ways you can encourage others in their faith and how would you like them to encourage you?
Vicki
On the walk we would pass a small brick building. My Dad told us it was called a pillbox. My sister, Trina, and I had never seen one before but there are several throughout England and they were built during World War Two as a form of defence against the enemy.
Trina and I would love to get our Dad to help us up on to the top of it, so we could then have a better view of our surroundings and be high up. All children seem to have a fascination with being 'King of the Castle'.
The problem came when it was time to get down! It was too high for us to jump. Once again we needed help from our Dad.
Dad would say "Jump and I'll catch you. It's ok." It always took me a while to make that leap of faith. I would stand at the top and fears and questions would fill my mind, such as, what if he drops me, what if I fall, what if I'm too big, too heavy? But every time my Dad caught me.
If you were to ask me at the time do I trust my Dad, then my answer would be, of course I trust him, he's my Dad. But it's not enough just to say I trust him, I had to exercise that trust in him. When I took that step or leap of faith, that was evidence of my professed faith in him.
We have a Heavenly Father, who is even more worthy of our trust and faith. He never lets us down, he never fails us and he's always there for us. "But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness." Psalm 86:15 (NLT). You and I can say we have faith in God our Father, but it's not enough for us to just talk about our faith. To talk about trusting God, but then not exercise it, means little. We need to show our faith in God. It's about having a working faith and a faith that works. In James' letter he wrote about the example of Abraham's faith: "You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete." James 2:22 (NLT) and so it is for us too.
It can be scary to take a step or leap of faith but we can trust God. The more we place our faith in him, the easier it becomes. Each time, as we see God come though for us, our faith grows stronger. You and I can be living proof that faith in God works.
"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." Hebrews 11:1 (NLT). The Message paraphrase puts it this way: "The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd." (v1 and 2)
As I write this it's only a few days before Father's Day here in England. Why not choose this Father's Day to put your faith in your Heavenly Father. Stop trying to do things on your own or in your own strength. Instead, as a child of God lean on him, rely on him.
Let's also encourage one another in our faith. Paul wrote to the Roman Christians and said this "When we get together, I want to encourage you in you faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours." Romans 1:12 (NLT).
To Think About:
Would you say that you trust God?
How does your faith in God show in your actions? Do you have a working faith?
What are some of the ways you can encourage others in their faith and how would you like them to encourage you?
Vicki
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