I read this passage today from Streams in the Desert. It spoke volumes to me and I wanted to share it with you (in paraphrased form)…
Faith is...the evidence of things not seen.
(Hebrews 11:1)
True faith drops its letter in the post office box, and lets it go. Distrust holds on to a corner of it, and wonders why the answer never comes. I have letters in my desk that have been written for weeks, but because of some slight uncertainty about the address or the contents, they are yet unmailed. They have not done me or anyone else any good, and they won’t -- until I let them go from my hands and trust them to the postman and the mail.
This is also the way with true faith. It hands its case over to God, and then He works. Psalm 37:5…'Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He worketh.'
But He only works when we fully commit.
Dr. Payson once said, "I have made this one test of my prayers: if after committing anything to God, I can like Hannah, come away and have my mind no longer sad, my heart no longer pained or anxious, I look upon it as proof that I have prayed in faith. But, if after praying I am still heavy with my burden, I conclude that faith was not in exercise."
~~~~~~
Lord, how I desire this kind of faith…one that casts my cares and burdens upon You and then fully lets them go. Forgive me for the times I’ve held onto them in distrust. Help me to make no effort to reclaim that which I’ve given over to You, interfere in Your workings, or anguish over Your ways and means. Instead, may I fully and completely trust in Your Sovereign will and timetable, and may my faith in You be strengthened and evidenced in the waiting… In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
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13 comments:
Okay, this post was just for me today. I know the things I need to let go of and just give fully to the Lord. Thanks for posting this. Beautiful!
Oh, that was beautifully put! I so needed to hear that today. We are in the midst of trusting the Lord to guide us to purchase just the right house...and have been praying for a really great deal. I suppose you could say that we have let go of 'the letter', but are guilty of reach down and fishing around in the postbox and dragging it back up from time to time. We need to just let it go, and trust the Lord to guide us where and when He will.
Have a fab day!
OK...in a very literal sense, this post was meant for me today. I've been putting off sending my latest manuscript in the mail to a few potential publishers because, quite honestly, rejection is an exhausting process. I've tasted it before, and it doesn't swallow easy.
But last week, God challenged me to put a little muscle and a mustard seed amount of faith behind my dreams. He told me to get busy, so once again, I perused my "Sally Stuart's Writers Guide" to find potential publishers and began assembling my materials.
They'll hit the post office tomorrow, and I want to pray as Dr. Payson prayed...with a Hannah portion that lets me leave the "rest" in God's hands.
Thank you so much for this posting. I will carry it with me for some time.
peace~elaine
Good post. I really like the prayer quoted from Dr. Payson. How true, if we still feel pained, heavy or anxious then our faith wasn't exercised.
I too have a hard time letting go. I go back and forth in what I should believe regarding one issue in my life that I've presented to go. However, at times I must be taking it back because I have to keep giving it back to Him and now I need to have the faith to truly let go!
Thanks,
Paula
I found you through Elaine's. come visit me sometime.
Faith is sometimes the hardest thing for me because it's not tangible. Thank you for your prayer for it is one I need to pray as well.
To let go and let God is difficult. We have to trust in Who we're trusting. It's not about the size of my faith, but the size of my God and NOTHING is impossible with Him.
So often I pray about something, say that I'm surrendering it to the Lord, trusting Him, but hours later anxiety, worry and fear come knocking and I realize I haven't fully released this request into His Hands. Oh for faith to trust Him more.
I'm currently preparing for a situation that requires me to trust the Lord like I never have before - it's something completely out of my control...0% Joy and 100% God. I know I'm going to experience Him like never before. Thank you for your words of encouragement.
Thank you also for visiting my blog. It was wonderful to hear from you.
Blessings,
Joy
Thanks so much for this post today. I found out some things today that do require me to just "let go and let God". I need to exercise the type of faith you wrote of in this post.
Have a great week!
A good word. Today, yes, I need to commit and just REST. (I'm needing the rest part I think as much as the commit part.) :~D
Thanks for visiting my blog. It's nice to meet you.
Blessings, e-Mom @ Chrysalis
Thanks, Tracy, for sharing this encouraging post. I am reminded once again the need to cast my cares upon the Lord and fully let them go. Take care. May God bless and keep your near to Him always :)
Thank you for welcoming my sister. It really meant a lot!
i love your discription of the letter and the post office! that is so true!
God Bless!
I don't know how I got here. I say that all the time to fellow bloggers but I know it's the Lord. The following quote from this post is just for ME. "Dr. Payson once said, "I have made this one test of my prayers: if after committing anything to God, I can like Hannah, come away and have my mind no longer sad, my heart no longer pained or anxious, I look upon it as proof that I have prayed in faith. But, if after praying I am still heavy with my burden, I conclude that faith was not in exercise."
Wow I realize many of my prayers are faith filled. Thanks for spurring me on.
Sheryl
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