Have you ever felt you sincerely prayed to God and He has not answered you? Has this unanswered prayer challenged your faith in God? Perhaps you thought that if He is the almighty God, why hasn't He answered your prayer? If this has happened to you, you are not alone. Why are our loved ones still sick? Why won't God heal me from my impediment, save my marriage, bring me a girlfriend, pay my bills, or allow me to conceive? The list is long and the lament often longer. I have gained some insight lately that I hope may bring you peace and give you answers from a Bible study called Isaiah: Striving Less and Trusting God More by Melissa Spoelstra.
Melissa breaks down the study into trusting God's character, trusting God's calendar, trusting God's comfort, trusting God's commands, trusting Gods correction, and trusting God's coming. I want to focus on His character, calendar, and comfort for the moment.
What do we know about the character of God? We know He is the same yesterday, today, and forever and He cannot sin. No evil is in Him. He has our best interests at heart. He sent His only Son to die on the cross for our sins that we may be saved. He remains committed to us: "Come now, let's settle this," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool." (Isaiah 1:18). Melissa says that you can trust God's character because "he is passionately committed to His people" and wants us to know that "The Lord hates sin because of its destructive power, but He loves and is committed to redeeming sinners!" (17) It's important to remember that God is holy. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. He wants to be close to us but we need to ask Him, to draw near to Him. We can trust Him in all things. Trust may be difficult for you as it is for me, it is something that is earned over time, like respect. Getting to know someone well helps us to develop this trust. So, who is God? His name is YAHWEH, which means He is self-existing. He was not created or born. He calls Himself the I AM. He is known as Yatsar, the Maker of all things. He is also known as the Savior, the Lord of Hosts, the Holy One of Israel, the One, the Way, The Truth and the Life, Adonai, Elohim, and the list of his names is as long as it is beautiful. (to be continued)