Right now there is so much going on in the world that it can get kind of overwhelming. Besides the never-ending barrage of negative news, the prayer requests from all sides are seemingly nonstop. People need healing for themselves and their loved ones. They need strength to endure the latest attacks from the enemy. It seems like everybody is feeling the pressure lately. In fact, I think my pastor said, “Let us not be weary in well-doing” at least three times in Wednesday’s service. So when I was praying about my blog this week, I asked the Lord to give me a message of encouragement for His people. On Friday morning, I believe He gave me an object lesson about what it means to stand fast in the faith. We just have to keep singing.
It Started Thursday Night
Thursday night before bed, I was thinking about a blog I had written my first year. It’s still one of my favorites of all time because it gives a practical lesson about exactly what our responsibility is to God on a day-today basis. It’s called 3 Simple Instructions From God to Us, and it comes from Hebrews, Chapters 3 and 4. One of the key points in the blog is that only those who enter God’s rest now (by putting our faith and trust in Him) will enter His rest later (in eternity). I reminded myself again that my job was simple. I’m supposed to listen, obey, and trust. Everything else I just need to give to God. I have to rest in Him.
Morning Confirmation
“Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”
Hebrews 4:11
The next morning, I opened my Bible at my bookmark and saw that I “just happened” to be in Hebrews 3 in my morning Bible reading. I read Chapter 4 for good measure and again thought about the idea of resting in God. No matter what else is going on, He wants us to trust Him and expect that He will work things out for our good.
But no sooner had I finished my chapters and flipped over to Facebook for a minute than the world was back up in my face. This particular time, it was concern for lost loved ones. I started feeling that pressure building, worry starting deep and rising. Then an inner voice stopped me short. “Is this something you can control? Well…no, but…. “Then give it to God.” So I did.
I prayed a prayer releasing everything to God – all my worry, all my fear, all my guilt about what I did or didn’t do in the past. I told God that I couldn’t control anything but He could. After all, I wasn’t even my own anymore. I had been bought with a price and belonged to Him. I trusted Him to take care of my needs. And He knows more than anyone how badly I NEED for my people to be saved. More than that, He knows exactly what it will take for them to come to Him. I reminded Him of Romans 9:15 when He said, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” Please, Lord. Have mercy on me and mine.
Just the Right Song
By this time, I was done getting ready for work and had all my gear packed into my truck. I turned the key in the ignition, and the radio roared to life with the station from the day before. One of my favorite songs was playing with the exact message I needed for that very moment. Jeremy Camp’s “Out of My Hands” pounded through the speakers. My hand shot into the air, and I started to sing.
“So, when it feels like all of this pain is never gonna end
Brought to my knees by all of these things
I don’t understand, don’t understand
I will let the weight of my fear fall like sand
Out of my hands and into Yours…
Out of my hands….STATIC”
Something Was Wrong With the Station
But just when I was really getting going, a man’s voice cut into the song speaking in rapid Spanish. The station was going in and out. I don’t know if it was the overcast weather or what, but something was wrong with the usually stable channel. As I drove, at times the song was crystal clear. At times, I could still hear the song underneath. And sometimes static or the other station completely took over for a second. But the whole time the song was on, I just kept singing. I knew the words, and right then I needed to sing them. I just kept singing.
“There ain’t nothing that You can’t handle
God, You are strong enough
Only You can take this out of my hands, out of my hands
You’re greater than all my sorrows
Worthy of all my trust
Thank You, Lord, that this is out of my hands, out of my hands”
When the song was over, I turned off the radio. It occurred to me that this was a picture of the exact strategy we need when times get tough.
Stand Fast in the Faith
“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.”
1 Corinthians 16:13
As Jesus’ disciples, we should all be in the Word of God every day. We should know God’s promises and commands and seek to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. We should live with His Words always on our minds so much so that we know them, kind of like the words to a song. When the enemy comes to take our peace and disturb us from our perfect, joyful life in communion with God, we can’t let him distract us. He tries to speak with foreign words of evil when we just want to hear God’s sweet promises. He brings static so it’s harder to focus on our purpose or on our worship. The enemy wants us to forget the Words to the song or get tired and turn the channel – or turn the radio off completely.
But we just have to keep singing. We have to stand fast in the faith. We set our faces like flint, open our mouths, and declare God’s Word to the enemy, ourselves, and back to God in prayer. Even if we can’t seem to hear the melody for a minute, and even when we are tired of interference. We must focus on God’s promises and the hope we have in the Day when we will have sweet, peaceful communion with Him alone. Giving up is not an option. We just have to keep singing.
If you like object lessons, try 3 Last Days Object Lessons From Shopping. . Or, try Chastisement and an Object Lesson About Iniquity. Please sign up to receive my blog in your email inbox. You can find that at the upper right of your screen (or at the bottom on a phone). Also, check out my YouTube Channel where I read the blogs out loud. I also have a playlist of hymns from my church.
