November 3, 2021
Praying Friends,
Thank you for partnering with us in prayer for our prodigals and for revival each Wednesday. Prayer is an act of faith.
Timothy Keller said, “To pray is to accept that we are, and always will be, wholly dependent on God for everything.”
Recently, we sat at a rehabilitation group home lounge with a few women, talking about the Samaritan woman of John 4 and her need for a Savior. Near the end, one of them asked, “How can I know that I have eternal life?”
What a great question!
How would you answer? Since we were in the Gospel of John, I got her to turn to John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” The key to knowing something for sure is the Word of God. If God said it, then it’s true. Acting on that truth is the essence of faith.
Hebrews 11 is a divine record of some of God’s faithful followers, and begins (verses 1-3) with the premise that God’s word is truth:
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”
Our lives of faith are based upon what God says. This is the foundation of our faith.
Can God be trusted? The disciples wondered the same thing. They heard the message of the prophets concerning the suffering Messiah. They heard the words of Jesus, who drilled into them the reality of his death, burial, and resurrection, but they didn’t get it. When they were faced with the evidence, after the resurrection, they finally believed and became like a powerhouse for the cause of Christ (Luke 24:26-27).
Here we are, two thousand years later. Can we believe that the Bible is God’s truth? The answer to this question is a resounding yes! Defending the reliability of the Scriptures, the apostle Paul wrote these words to his young friend Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right” (2 Timothy 3:16). Mark Clark takes up this topic in his book, The Problem of God, Answering a Skeptic’s Challenge to Christianity, in which he considers the Bible historically, culturally, and personally. In each of these categories, God’s Word can be trusted.
So how do we know that the universe was created by God? Is it the awesome beauty of the butterfly that assures us that He is the creator? Is it the massive size of the universe that teaches us that He is behind it all? Is it the perfect order and symmetry of the planets that confirm His design? Is it the human body with all its detail and complexity? All of these realities, along with many more, give us confirmation.
All that is was created by the Word of God. We can have confidence in His Word whether it was His spoken word in creation, or the written Word of God, the Bible, because it stands true and will never change. The psalmist affirms, “Your eternal word, O LORD, stands firm in heaven” (Psalm 119:89).
How does this impact us today? It is by faith we know that God created the universe (Hebrews 11:3). This tells us that God is powerful.
By faith we know that He wants what is best for us (Romans 8:28). This reveals that God has a plan. By faith we know that He will never let us go (John 10:28-29). This provides security.
By faith we know that He loves us (Rom. 8:37). This reminds us that God cares. It is by faith we know that He is with us 24/7 (Heb. 13:5). This gives us comfort. By faith we know that He will guide our every step (Pro. 3:6). This gives us hope and courage.
Let’s make the choice today to live by faith!
Love in Christ,
Bryan and Rachel