For he that cometh to God must believe that He is—Hebrews 11:6
A few months ago, I was delighted to speak to the Sparks, the kindergarten through second-graders in AWANA. As I was told that they liked missionary stories, I selected Eric Liddell for my presentation. This choice was motivated by two primary factors: one, his life is a story of breathtaking sacrifice and heroism; two, he is Scottish and so am I. Well, to be honest, I’m only half-Scottish, but that’s better than many, so I am quite content.
Most who know Mr. Liddell’s name remember him for “Chariots of Fire”, a movie which primarily focuses on his gold medal victory in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Most do not know the rest of the story. Though he became famous for his world-class achievement, he later returned to China to serve as a missionary until he died in an internment camp in 1945. During his time in the camp, many of his fellow prisoners questioned the nature and even existence of God. Eric was used mightily to assure believers and convince non-believers that yes, God is in control, and no, He had not forgotten them.
As I read these things about Liddell to prepare for the talk to the Sparks, my mind was drawn to another man who experienced terrible suffering. Though he articulated his displeasure with his condition, his faith, like Liddell’s, remained unshaken. That man stated with assurance,
For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. (Job 19:25,26)
A highly successful tactic of Satan—regardless of the despair, shallow or deep, rational or irrational, in which we find ourselves—is to question the nature and the character of God. If the devil can persuade us to do that, we are vulnerable to questioning the very existence of God. The antidote to this demonic tactic is to engage in the opposite: read what God has said about Himself, believe it, and behave accordingly. Job understood that, whatever happened to him, his wife, and his property, the Lord God existed. He would see him not only in spirit but in flesh. For a man who lived during the time of Abraham with no written revelation, Job demonstrated substantial faith. In expressing his faith, he also validated the words of Jehovah earlier in the book,Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? (Job 1:8)
Understand that if Job lived during the time of Abraham, his reputation might have been greater. Job’s view of God was uncomplicated. He understood that the Lord’s power and authority surpassed all things, all conditions, all experiences. Job didn’t know why he suffered, but he knew Who was in control. He knew Who permitted it. And though he spoke from ignorance or incomplete knowledge (as we all do), he quickly repented when the Creator made His appearance.
As more intelligent men than I have observed, God never gave Job an answer for his suffering. He is not obligated to do so: not for Job, not for us. But despite the lack of divine answers, Job knew at the foundation of his mind that his condition rested completely within the sovereignty of God. He didn’t like his experience, but he also knew that Jehovah had not abdicated His reign over His creation.
Hundreds of years later, the God that appeared in chapter 38 of Job arrived in the same sort of human flesh that Job had scraped with a potsherd. At the end of His ministry ,and hours before His crucifixion, Jesus articulated the words upon which the eternal security-the very eternal existence-of all His worshippers hangs:Because I live, ye shall live also (John 14:19).
All of everything depends on Him. In my life, what most causes the things of earth “to grow strangely dim”, what forces small things to remain small, what compels me to have a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind, is to recognize that God is Who He says He is. He will do what He says He will do. He will always move and act according to His nature.
During moments of despair, I’ve often read and contemplated the prophet’s description of God in Isaiah chapter 40. We worshippers and servants of Christ must bring our heart and mind into the subjection of acknowledging who our Master is and what He says said about Himself. Though He is omnipotently sovereign, He also omnipotently loves. Illness, injury, hurricanes, internment camps, the death of children; God has not placed upon us the burden to understand why He allows these events. He alone sustains all things. Our responsibility is to rest in the assurance that the Judge of all the earth will do right. I need not understand. I must simply return to that most basic and potent of realities: God is, and God controls. When I live according to this truth, the physical becomes subservient to the spiritual, and the spiritual becomes subservient to the Father.
(Romans 15:4).
The above article was written by Ben Reed. He is member of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email us at strengthforlife461@gmail.com.
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