Lack of Faith?

A friend told me that she was raised in a religion of rules and although she knows and believes the gospel, she struggles with “being good enough” and with believing that God hears and answers her prayers. Even though there is spiritual fruit in her life and she does trust Jesus for salvation, she is in constant need of affirmation regarding almost everything else that God promises.

 Today’s reading is written with the same attitude. The author says, “We have failed to believe that God is the God of all comfort — It has seemed too good to be true” and uses terms like “our poor suspicious natures” and being frightened about the promise of His comfort“ — all ideas that are foreign to faith. This author even suggests this attitude comes from a tendency to consider God as a “stern, unbending judge, holding us at a distance and demanding our respectful homage as He criticizes our slightest faults.”

At the end, the reading says, ‘But I rejoice to say that that stern judge does not exist.” Which is also not true. He exists. However, He poured out His wrath on His Son that we might be recipients of His amazing comfort.

Of course we are not good enough. Ever, never. Jesus is our righteousness. The gospel is our primary comfort because Jesus died for my sin, all of it…

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1–2)

While the Bible is filled with commands to “fear God” these are about awe and worship for those who trust Him, not the terror of being rejected. For Christians, that fear is not from God: “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). Later, it says one reason for such a fear:

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (1 John 4:18)

Fear comes when I forget the power and extent of God’s love, when I stop relying on the cross and put confidence in my own works — which are insufficient and never will do the job. That being true, why then fall into such a trap? The Bible speaks to that problem:

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2)

Human pride is at the root of thinking I can save myself or be good enough, and pride is most difficult to detect and even more difficult to confess. Pride does not want to say “I am not able” nor admit it — even to me, never mind God. Yet think of it; if I am not trusting God, why not? Like a petulant child, I’m thinking I can do it all by myself. And for that, the God of all grace is more concerned to deal with my lack of humility than to give me comfort over my fears and foibles.

PRAY: Lord Jesus, pride in me is a number one faith-destroyer, and a total insult to Almighty God. It breaks my heart to see it in others, but even seeing it in someone else can contribute to the same problem in myself. Guard my heart. I know I’m to humble myself before You and even rejoice in my weaknesses, for it is only then do I see the wonder of Your strength.

That problem that makes my face red . . .

1 Chronicles 21; Jonah 4; Luke 9; 1 Peter 2

Each morning my flip chart gives me a ‘first thought’ that often echoes through the day. Why have this chart? I have a ‘scattered mind’ (likely attention deficit) and need something that helps me focus. Today, that first thought was this:

GLORIFY GOD vs pride. Never take credit for anything for I cannot even breathe without the Lord’s enabling. “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” (Proverbs 11:2)

Then God starts the echo with two examples from the OT and several from the NT, all applying to my spiritual life.

In 1 Chronicles, David decided to number his people. It seems his purpose was to assess his military strength. This incurred God’s displeasure because it suggested that he was relying more on military capabilities than on divine power. Later David admitted that his action was sin.

From this, the Lord says I’m not to rely on my own resources without realizing that all I have comes from Him. I don’t need to ‘add it up’ either because He promises that whatever amount I need, He will provide.

Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

The next example is Jonah. He is angry with God because of His mercy on the Ninevites and that they repented from their evil ways. Jonah preferred that the entire city perish under God’s wrath. As he sat and sulked in the heat of the day, God raised up a plant to shade him but the next day the plant died. Jonah was angry and wanted to die because he lost the shade. God rebuked him saying:

“You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” (Jonah 4:10–11)

The Bible makes no comment but I can relate to this arrogance. Jonah was more concerned about his own comfort than the citizens of Nineveh. Not only that he thought his plan for them was better than God’s plan. He wanted to see them suffer for their sin and not be forgiven. This notion is from pride too and tells me that I should never have the idea that I know what God should do, or that His plans should align with my will. How foolish is that!

The disciples had pride problems too (another echo doesn’t make me feel any better). In Luke 9, Jesus foretold his death twice. The second time He used that special word rhema which indicates a special message usually understood, but in the context, it seems pride was causing spiritual fog. His disciples did not understand Him. Prior verses show their pride. During the transfiguration Peter told Jesus his ‘good’ idea instead of listening to Him. Then they tried to heal a boy but failed. In the same story in Matthew, Jesus told them healing would not happen without prayer. In their pride, they tried to do something without consulting God or asking for His power.

After Jesus told them He was going to be arrested, they argued which of them was the greatest. Then they wanted to stop someone who was using the name of Jesus to cast out demons because “he does not follow with us” as if they had exclusive rights to the power of God. After that, Jesus was not received by some Samaritans and two of His disciples wanted to call down fire from heaven to consume them. Again, they were full of an arrogance that showed up in their ideas given to the Master.

Proverbs 11:2 says pride brings disgrace but humility brings wisdom. In this equation and in my experience, pride is foolishness and humility is wisdom. Pride might ‘feel’ better, but it also leads to destruction whereas humility leads to honor:

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. (Proverbs 18:12)

One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. (Proverbs 29:23)

APPLY: Finally, Peter tells me, “Put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander” (1 Peter 2:1) and for good reason. If I look at this sinful list, I can find pride at the root of each. Instead of doing my own thing, I must remember that by the grace of God I am a member of His family, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9) He didn’t put me into His kingdom so I could pat myself on the back. Instead, I’m to “pray without ceasing” about all needs and tell others about the marvels of God who called me to Himself!