Focus: Restful Faith (Pt.1)

Text: Jb.13:15

"Though he slay me, yet will I TRUST in him…"

We have just come into the 7th month of the year. Today is the first day of July. That is, spiritually speaking, the sabbath month. The Lord has pressed it on my spirit to share with you on the spiritual subject of restful faith. One thing about faith is that it rests itself upon God's word.

Sometimes we do not understand God's ways or how He works. He is often totally a mystery to us. We find ourselves every now and then in the darkness of God where we completely lack any clues of whatever it is that He is doing in our lives. It is at such a time that Job exclaimed, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him."

Whatever life throws at us, by faith we decide and determine to rely upon God. There is no better place to be than in God's hands, and no one in this whole world can treat us better than God Himself. In God's hands we are safe. Habakkuk found himself in a hard place, and in faith he declared, "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab.3:17-18). That is the joy of a confident soul. Faith is music to the soul. Even in the middle of nowhere faith sings a song and rejoices in God. Job says that God "giveth songs in the night" (Jb.35:10). Nahum says, "The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him" (Nah.1:7). God is a secure place for the man of faith.

The sabbath is a time of rest. It is a time to pause and ponder at who God is and what He does. It is a time to meditate and relax in God's presence. It is a time for the believer in Christ to medicate his soul with the medicine of God's word. The psalmist says, "I trust in thy word" (Ps.119:42).

In this whole month of July we should learn to trust God. Believe God and take Him by His word. Isaiah says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee" (Isa.26:3). Get your mind to stay fixed and focused on God! The word 'trust' here refers to someone who has run to God for refuge. God is a hiding place for the believer in Jesus Christ. In Christ he is safe and secure. In Christ the believer cares about nothing. The psalmist says, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee," and then he says, "Trust in him at all times" (Ps.56:3; 62:8).

Faith is ever restful; it is never fretful, nor stressful. God is all that faith has, yet, He is more than enough. He is infinitely capable and absolutely reliable.

As you put your faith to practice in this month of July you will surely see the glory of God. You will experience the touch of God, enjoy His presence, and encounter the reality of His word. Amen!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter