Phil 4:6,7
What a tremendous promise! That in the midst of the various trials and troubles that we face each day, the peace of God is readily available to us to not only guard our hearts and our minds from plunging into needless fretting and anxiety, but also enable us to rest in the care of Heavenly Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
The remedy is ready. The very “peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension,” is available to all who ask in His name; trusting Him who has said, and in Him who has promised. Through what means then? Paul tell us…”in everything by prayer and supplication (humble appeal), with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” “The Lord is near” (vs 5), and is willing and able to meet your every need.
And yet how often we forget in the midst of our anxieties, who our God is, and how near He is to us. Certainly we are all given to this. Worry seems like a natural and understandable reaction to the adversities of life. The surprising death of a loved one, or a terminal illness that we or someone close to us has contracted. The news of a war that has begun, with the possibility unrest and invasion follow. The loss of personal income and the ability to sustain ourselves or the lives of our dependents. Worry is certainly understandable with these situations.
Yet what is surprising to me, is how even the small and seemingly insignificant issues of life can still unnerve me, and compel me to question God or His timing with those situations. “Did I respond to that person appropriately?” “Did I say too much and cause offense?” “Did we get enough condiments of the the BBQ this evening?” I site these last ones simply to show the wide extent of of the issues of life that we can be compelled to worry about. Truly this is a serious matter that needs to be contended with.
A God who Controls Every Aspect of Life
The Bible is pretty clear about who is in control of every aspect of life, both the good and the bad. It’s not ourselves. It’s not chance or fate. It’s not the Devil. It’s God. Even down to the smallest detail of life. “Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, Unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That both good and ill go forth?” (Lam 3:37,38). “The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD” (Prov 16:1). “Consider the work of God, For who is able to straighten what He has bent? In the day of prosperity be happy, But in the day of adversity consider–God has made the one as well as the other….”(Eccles 7:13,14). “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps”(Prov 16:9). “The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD” (Prov 16:33). “Man’s steps are ordained by the LORD, How then can man understand his way? (Prov 20:24). “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Prov 21:1). “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But victory belongs to the LORD” (Prov 16:31). And those are just a few.
We’re reminded of Gods dealing with the nations and the nation of Israel alone as recorded in the Bible that bares this out. Josephs words to his brothers are a good sum up…“as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result… (Gen 50:20).
Clearly this is the perspective in the New Testament regarding Christ and His accomplished work here on earth. Peter said…“This Man (Jesus the Nazarene), delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death”(Acts 2:22,23). He went onto say on another occasion… “”For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur”(Acts 4:27). And we believe this to be true as well.
Consider how we pray. We ask God to act and to do things that we never could, not only miraculously, but also through His various means of providence. We pray for God to move in the hearts of people, to grant repentance and faith to believe1, knowing that unless He does so, they never will2. We pray for these things because we believe in a God who indeed does just that; in a God who does the impossible (Matt 19:23-26).
This is who our great God is. “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure” (Isa 46:9,10). He did it at Calvary, and He continues to do so in the lives of His elect (Acts 13:48). Paul remind us that He indeed works all of the various aspects of lives “together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28).
So why the disconnect? Just our natural propensity toward unbelief? To doubt God? “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Num 23:19). On what grounds did He loose His credibility or warrant the need for our distrust? The issue is not with Him, but will us. Clearly He has demonstrated Himself as able and faithful “to accomplish all HIs good pleasure.” We dare not be like those who just after being miraculously fed on the mountain, demanded another sign so that He may believed (John 6:30).
A Table in the Wilderness
The Psalmist recalls for us… “Then they spoke against God; They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? “Behold, He struck the rock, so that waters gushed out, And streams were overflowing; Can He give bread also? Will He provide meat for His people?”(Ps 78:19). This is the voice of unbelief. Indeed their circumstances on the surface looked dire, but God was with them, and had demonstrated His power and faithfulness repeatedly. Yet their doubt remained.
Is it not the case in some sense with us as well? How needed are Christ’s words to us from the Sermon on the Mount…”For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? “And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span? “And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. “But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? “Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ “For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt 6:25-34).
If God is so able and willing care for us, and has repeatedly demonstrated His faithfulness to do so, why are we so prone to doubt Him? Why are we so prone under the guise of “prudence and good stewardship” to do just the opposite of Christ’s words to us earlier in that sermon…””Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt 6:19-21).
Where is the biblical ground for “prepping” for the unknown in light of these passages? Quite frankly many of our current day efforts strike me more of unbelief than of those who really believe that God is indeed able to care to the needs of His children. Laying up for ourselves treasures on earth has become so common place for us under the guise of wisdom and prudence, that to even suggest otherwise, is often met with scoffing and ridicule. Clearly the scriptures call us to work, to save, to build and to invest, not only to provide for ourselves and our dependents3, but also so that we will have sometime to share with those who have needs4. Yet how often our efforts in amassing wealth for ourselves are really a guard against having to trust God to actually do what He said He would do.
Dare we recall the illustration of the rich man in Luke 12? Christ in warning against the sin of covetousness said…”Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a certain rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”‘ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God”(Luke 12:15-21). Obviously the modern approach to retirement isn’t that modern after all.
Oh Lord, guard us against laying up treasures for ourselves here on earth and not trusting you for what you have demonstrated and promised. “Let us examine and probe our ways, and let us return (in faith) to the LORD” (Lam 3:40).
Unbelief tells us He can’t or won’t provide, or certainly not in the manner in which we desire. So we pile it up to guard against such an outcome, and praise our efforts of “wisdom and good stewardship.” O beware my brethren of those false and deceptive motives hiding behind such supposed wisdom and human reasonings. Indeed “all the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the LORD weighs the motives” (Prov 16:2). There will come a day when the Lord will “disclose the motives of mens hearts”(1 Cor 4:5), and weigh them in the scales of His justice. Let us take heed then,“for even if (as Paul says), I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord” (1 Cor 4:4). It is indeed foolish to examine our selves by ourselves (2 Cor 10:12).
Jesus said to them…”Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid”(Matt 14:27). God spoke through the prophet Isaiah saying…“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand”(Isa 41:10). And again…”Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!”(Isa 43:2). Will He not care for His own? “Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him”(Ps 103:13).
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”(Rom 8:32). Why are we so timid? How is it that we have no faith? Again…“Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”(Num 23:19).
Far better to trust God to care for our needs, and lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, than to lay up treasures for ourselves here on earth (as witness against us for our own doubt and unbelief), and to end up with nothing but wood hay and stubble that simple gets burned up at the judgement to come.
“He is no fool, who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what He cannot lose.”5
But what about when He says “No?” Or “You need to wait, and trust Me? I have things that I need you to learn through this situation, and this is the path that I have chosen for you to take in order for you to grow in faith and learn to trust Me more.” Is it reasonable to trust God in those times as well? Not just reasonable, but imperative!
What about a situation where your nation is being invaded by another, and you can do nothing about it but wait, until that conjuring nation arrives and takes you and everything you possess captive, enslaves and deports you into exile, not knowing how or if you will be cared for or if you will ever be released from captivity. This was Habakkuk’s situation. Let’s look at his response to it…
“I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us. (But) though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines; Though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food; Though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls; Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. (For) the Lord GOD is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places.” (Hab 3:16-19)
Here is a situation where it is absolutely imperative to trust God; for your very survival, and not just physically, but even more so for mental and spiritual stability. Such a situation, or others like those I had mentioned at the outset, could drive us to utter madness, to the depths of despair and hopelessness. Yet for the believer, “the Lord GOD is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places.”
Here is “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, that shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Here is the peace that Isaiah told us about centuries ago… “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isa 26:3 KJV). “…for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7)
It is faith that can say…”He knows what’s best for me, and I will endeavor to trust Him.”
I’ll leave you with these words of our Lord… “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27). “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
And the posture of the Psalmist… “Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps 73:25,26).
For your consideration,
May God bless a fresh resolve.
Footnotes:
1. Acts 5:31; 11:18; 2 Tim 2:26; Eph 2:8; Act 13:48
2. John 1:12,13; 6:44,65; 1 Cor 1:30; 2:14
3. 1 Thes 3:10-12; 1 Tim 5:1-16
4. Eph 4:28; 1 Tim 6:17-19
5. Jim Elliott – Personal journal entry – October 28, 1949