Believe

When Hannity says it on his nightly Fox broadcast, to me, it just doesn't seem to carry the same weight of sincerity that it does when I hear it in the context of a Sunday School lesson. (Maybe because he stops short of the rest of the verse about belief.) Not that he doesn't believe it or mean it, it just sounds a little rote when he says it. One of the verses that was highlighted this past Sunday by our teacher Roger was John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me." Sounds simple enough but how much do we really embrace that truth.

Oh but how many times do we allow our hearts to be troubled? Troubled by circumstances that are beyond our control. Troubled by relationships that have gone awry. Troubled by insecurities that round our every corner. Troubled by the "what ifs" of tomorrow and the "how to's" of today. We do tend to let the troubles get under our skin. They keep us awake at night and stewing throughout the day. Instead of being gripped by a peaceful countenance that comes from believing that God will handle our affairs if we trust him and center our attention on His will and His ways, we are so often gripped by our own casual and unsubstantiated belief that we are somehow capable of handling things on our own. It is a cultural myth, for sure.

Believe in God but also believe in me, Jesus said. Jesus was talking to the disciples here, but this statement remains steeped in truth to this very day. If we really stand on the truth that God is in control, and believe with all our heart that he knows the road that we are traveling on; where the detours are, and the dead ends, the turnabouts and the redirected destinations, we will be able to navigate through the calamities and adversities of life, no matter how threatening, or how intense, or how much they are rocking our security, in stride, his stride. Oh, it is easy enough to say that we believe in God's sovereignty, but to truly live within the bounds of God's peace and not be generated by human fear and frailty is quite another matter. Or is it?

Back to basics, especially at this time of year. It is Christmas. A time to celebrate the birth of a child who came to be our Savior. This is the same one, who God, the Almighty, sent to walk the talk and be that earthly example who shows us that he is real, and present and aware of everything and everybody at all times. Our earthly adversities, no matter how stout and befuddling they may be to us are merely significant events that God has allowed to bring Glory to his name through the belief that we show in HIs Son, Jesus Christ. For if we truly believe that God will carry us through the fires, and hold us securely in his arms when the winds of rejection, retaliation, deep sadness and scurried events come blowing through our lives, it is then that we will proclaim the belief in Christ that we have grown and stored within us to be the truth that we have embraced and is the centered stage on which we perform in our daily acts...of kindness, of love, of forgiveness, of patience, of gentleness, and of self control.

Our faith in Christ is strengthened by our adversities, only if we allow it to be the foundation on which we stand. If we stand on fear or our own human strength, we will find that we will crater under the weight of the responsibility. For we know not the road, we are unfamiliar with the territory, and do not have the answers or the wisdom to compensate for the trials. Only God can and will prevail, in all situations. We may not ever understand his reasons for allowing what he does to happen but we can stand firmly on the truth that as long as we faithfully pursue his will and his best, he will extend his hand of comfort and give us the strength we need to carry on and carry out the purposes that he has for our lives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled, for God is watching and he has sent his Spirit to intercede through our prayers, to instruct us on our way, and intervene in our actions. We hear that word "believe" a lot during this Christmas holiday time, but do we fully embrace that belief in Jesus Christ? Do we truly put it into action a faithful commitment to hold on and hold tight to the reality that Christ is not only present in our lives but an active part of our everyday, moment by moment, living and breathing interaction? When we submit to that truth, it is there that we will find a peace that we are able to sleep with, and a strength that we are able to stand on.

Christmas, of all times, should be a remembrance of what has been done for us and is being done through us by Christ. It is a time to celebrate the partnership that has been offered to each of us by God himself through his son Jesus. Talking about a gift, that keeps on giving. Even through the trials and adversities of life as we see it today, it remains Christ's time to show his glory, and continue to live out his story through our very lives.

May Christ's countenance of JOY hover over you and within you today, and may his presence of peace calm your heart and give you pause to praise him for the wonderful things he has done and continues to do in and through our lives. Amen

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!