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Thoughts for a Woman's Heart |
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encouragement in things that matter |
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When in Doubt
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Faith chooses God. That’s a basic statement of the foundation of what I believe, and it’s a statement of practical reality. But is it enough? I sat one morning and wrestled with the question. I was encouraged by the words of Solomon. Cry out for insight and understanding, and you will gain knowledge of God. Wasn’t a "knowledge of God" really what I was wrestling with? Faith is the means that leads me to that knowledge. But is choosing enough? The psalmist chose when he cried out to God, when he pleaded with God to pay attention to him, when he counted on God to fulfill His word. Was his choice enough? God answered his plea with His help, with forgiveness, with unfailing love, and with an overflowing supply of salvation. In Psalm 131, David says, "I don’t concern myself with matters too great or small for me. But I have stilled and quieted myself, just as a small child is quiet with its mother." When faith chooses God, it transcends our doubts and quiets our spirit. The voices of the world or of our own insecurities can distort the message of God’s truth, but the believer continues to build on what she has heard from God. She awaits the blessings of God’s love and the leading of God’s Spirit. She prays, she gives to others, and she grows spiritually. In all these things, she chooses God. And then I went back to Solomon. He reminded me that wisdom cries out for a pursuit of God. Those who turn away from the call of wisdom are fools. Those who choose to respond and choose to pursue God will be blessed.
The psalmist almost shouts an emphatic declaration in response to his choice to believe. I know the greatness of the Lord – that our Lord is greater than any other god. There are no other options! Faith chooses to believe. When that faith is based on the true and living God, such a faith will not fail me. It is true and it is adequate because of the Object of my faith, and not my feelings. I persevere in light of my choice, with the knowledge that I have chosen well, and have chosen truth, and I can delight in the evidences and manifestations of that truth.
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— Bev |
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