In my quest to promote more Intimacy with God in your life, I write a lot about faith. Without a doubt faith is essential to our relationship with God because we first must believe in Him to have a relationship with Him. However, in the physical body that you have and in your human spirit and mind, you grapple with faith every day. You don’t necessarily grapple with believing in God but you may grapple with believing that His presence is in your life to make it good; to make it better.
You may tend to focus on your troubles and your problems. At the end of the day, we’re all striving for something better. We want good in our lives in every aspect of it because we know we’d be happier. Nonetheless, you also don’t enjoy the pain of suffering. No one does. I know you feel at times that there is always something standing in your way to better. There is always something that must be taken care of and needs your attention that you don’t want to deal with. You have to strive with maintaining your health, maintaining your home, maintaining your finances, maintaining the care of others, and also maintaining your own spiritual and mental health. It’s a lot to deal with and if one thing goes wrong, everything else is threatened. On top of that, you have to continue to believe that God’s presence is in your life to make it fuller and better. It’s a challenge just to think of it but it's a greater struggle when you’re actually in it. I feel you. I know.
I was doing my devotion the other day and was reading Mark 5. Mark 5 talks about a few healings that Christ was performing. First, Jesus healed a demon possessed man who approached Him. (Go figure even demons run towards Him). He healed a woman who had a bleeding issue for years. Meanwhile a leader of the local synagogue, Jairus, pleaded with Jesus that his daughter was dying. Yet, before Christ got to her, someone came from the home of Jairus and said that it was too late for Jesus to come look at the girl because she had already died. They said there was no use for Him to be troubled by this problem anymore. And then what Christ said next jumped off the page out to me. He said, “DON’T BE AFRAID. JUST TRUST ME.” At that moment, it became personal.
The Lord says, there is another side of Faith. It’s not just about believing in Him but it’s about trusting Him. And He opened this up wide for me and I really want you to meditate on this. Have you ever been completely taken care of? Have you ever had to be in the care of someone else and totally trust them? You may have needed a medical procedure or surgery and had to completely trust your healthcare professional. Or better, you may have gone to the salon and been pampered by the staff who made you feel good, safe, and free. Have you ever called a company and the customer service rep you got on the phone (that you thought was going to make the call a struggle for you) provided you good information that took care of your needs and distinguished your worries? Have you ever had an advocate over your life who fought for your rights somehow in some way? What does it all feel like for you to have this support?
Have you ever been around people who were experts at what they do? You trusted their expertise and you chose them because you had confidence in them. You could feel something about them that made you feel good, safe, strong, confident, and would fight for you because they had your best interest at heart. And when you felt this way, all you worry died. All your concerns disappeared into thin air. And instead of feeling like everything would crash from your storm, you begin to feel you could get through the storm because you had an advocate, a friend, and expert that was on your side, by your side. Who brings out these feelings in you in your life or close to it?
You may be going through something right now as each day can present a challenge. But I don’t care how BIG your challenge may be, Jesus is telling you, “DON’T BE AFRAID. JUST TRUST ME.” He’s making a personal statement to you because He sees your pain and understands your challenges. He's your advocate, your friend, your expert, your customer service help, your salon staff, and your care provider.
Jairus' daughter was dead. How worst off is that??? You may feel that way at times or feel close to it but you're still alive and breathing God's Glory! Not only that. The others had already given up on Jairus' daughter. Others may have given up on you, as well, and feel like you may as well give up but God says, "Just Trust Me. You also have to understand that Jesus lived in a human frame. He struggled, He was challenged, He was tempted, He cried, He pleaded, and worst of all He suffered greatly. So, He understands the things you go through but He vowed on the cross that you wouldn’t suffer to the degree that He did. But now and with the Holy Spirit He extends Life to you! So, He’s saying to you today Cindy, “DON’T BE AFRAID. JUST TRUST ME.”
I want you to wake up each day knowing without a doubt that you will be FINE. Your trust in Jesus is your guarantee. That’s Faith!
In Jesus Name, Go in Peace.
Psalm 28:7 - The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.