Trembling Faith - 5 of 12
August 4, 2019
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6, NKJV)
Do you know what makes the great men and women of faith great? It is because they were not afraid of God, they trusted Him, and they were not ultimately resistant or afraid of the changes the journey of faith would make in and to their lives.
What happens when the desires of an individual, who historically has great faith, slams headlong into the will of God for a given situation?
Today we address this question in the form of Isaac and will witness the result of his desires when they conflict with the will of God. From this we will observe what we ought to do as those who are called to seek God diligently.
Have you ever been on a walk or a hike with someone who had no idea where they were going, yet, they were in front and looking over their shoulder to see if the leader still behind them, loosely indicating a correct trajectory? This is what the faith of Isaac came to look like over the course of his life; it isn’t a criticism but that doesn’t mean he was correct either.
If anything one learns while walking with God it’s that the mistake isn’t what matters; in faith it is how we react to the mistake, once it becomes known to us; it is this that speaks to the matter of our humility before and our relationship with God. “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” (1 John 3:20, NKJV)
Our emotions, our desires and our senses - they deceive us and they contribute directly to how we think God’s plan for the future should be administered or made manifest. Naturally, our Heavenly Father knows best.
Still, how our hearts are wounded when we are confronted and must admit to ourselves that the thing we wanted so badly is not to be; how it is we got it wrong. That we will not see mountains or hear waves on that day; when this happens how do we react? Do we still have faith?
When Isaac comes face-to-face with the depth of his faith and the degree of his trust in Almighty God and His salvation plan he physically trembles. Not out of anger but instead out of submission and coming to know that he had been wrong in his plans as they align with the will of the great “I AM.”
As mentioned earlier it isn’t the mistake on the behalf of the individual that matters but rather how the one who claims faith responds in, by and because of that faith. The greater measure of our faith is found and forged when we come to realize that the things we’ve desired for so long are not of the Lord but are merely of our own will. Faith found and forged when we yield in trembling to His moving in our lives out of our love and trust for Him; not being afraid of the changes He will make in our lives.