There’s not much good about growing old except the advantage of historical perspective. Some people call it wisdom but most of the time it’s just that we know a bunch of stuff that doesn’t work (because we’ve tried and failed). However, the longer I walk with the Lord the easier it becomes to believe and trust. Not because the challenges are less but rather that God has proven himself faithful in the past and sufficient for my need.
I love the stories of the disciples in the New Testament. They are so real. They give me hope for my faith journey because the disciples messed up, their faith often failed them and most of the time they just didn’t get it. Even so, Jesus brought them along, deposited in them God’s truth and plan, and showed them a life and a way of living worth emulating. And He did that for them knowing they wouldn’t get it till the end, after He had left and the Father sent the Spirit.
Later, after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this. They then put two and two together and believed both what was written in Scripture and what Jesus had said. (Jn 2:22, The Message)
The disciples didn’t notice the fulfillment of many Scriptures at the time, but after Jesus was glorified, they remembered that what was written about him matched what was done to him. (Jn 12:16, The Message)
Jesus answered, “You don’t understand now what I’m doing, but it will be clear enough to you later.” (Jn 13:7, The Message)
(Jesus talking to his disciples) “I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.(Jn 14:25–27, The Message)
So when your journey brings you to a mountain to climb, a chasm to cross or a swamp to slosh through take time to remember … the promises and principles of God’s Word, the way Jesus lived and loved, and how God intervened, helped and saved you in the past. But don’t just stay there. You don’t want to come to your end before everything comes into focus. You can never know or see it all before you act. After all, it’s called faith for a reason. Take a deep breath, trust God and move into your future. The Holy Spirit will not only help you now but will also help you understand the now later.
Faith is not seeing … yet believing, trusting and acting!
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