SPIRITUAL
DIARY FOR 05-30-03
My
Worship Time Focus: Faith Waiting
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: Hebrews 11:8-10
1. Message of the verse: “8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called
to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went
out, not knowing where he was going. 9
By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in
tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he
waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is
God.” (NKJV) “It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God
called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his
inheritance. He went without knowing
where he was going. And even when he
reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a
foreigner, living in a tent. And so did
Isaac and Jacob, to who God gave the same promise. Abraham did this because he was confidently
looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built
by God.”
This
section, Dr. Wiersbe calls “waiting faith,” and when you read about it you can
certainly tell that is a good title for this section that goes until verse
twenty-two. Abraham was an idol
worshiper in what is now modern day Iraq, and God called him to go out of that
land into a land where God would show him.
I do not know how it was that God called him, but the Bible says that He
did. God did promise him an inheritance,
as He does all He calls, and God promised that Abraham would be the father of
many nations, which he is. Abraham was a
man, who believed God, and because of this faith in God, God blessed him very
much, but God did not fulfill the promises that he has made to him in his
lifetime. Abraham and his family lived
in tents, and not in any permanent house, as they were pilgrims in this land
that God promised to them. Each
generation faithfully passed on the promise to the next of How God spoke to
Abraham and promised his family the “promised land.” It was not until over 400 years later that
Israel took possession of this land, and in a sense they have never until this
day possessed all of the land that God said that He would give to them, so they
are still faithfully waiting. It will be
given to them in the thousand-year kingdom headed up by Jesus Christ their
Messiah. Abraham had faith that this
would be the truth as evidenced in the tenth verse, for he was looking for a
city whose designer and builder was none other than God Himself, Abraham was
looking towards heaven.
2 Spiritual meaning for my life today: It took twenty-five years for Abraham and
Sarah to have the child that God promised them to have, and I am sure that
there were some doubts in there mind, and even their failures were, in a sense,
believing God. I am speaking of them
trying to “help” God give them a child through Hagar. As Warren Wiersbe says of himself that
waiting is one of the things that he likes to do least, that is true in my life
and always has been. However God has
shown me in these years that I have belonged to Him that waiting dose build
character into my life and it certainly does increase my faith in Him. Yes all of us that are in the boat in the
midst of this storm that God has seen fit to send us out into are having a hard
time waiting on the Lord, but God makes no mistakes and the answer to this
problem will be given by God in God’s time, and in the meantime we all must be
patience and believe in the promises of His Word, for He will never leave us nor
will He ever forsake us.
The Word of God was a challenge to my heart today as I read
it and as I thought about it this morning.
It also brought refreshment and courage to me too.
My
Steps of Faith Today: I want to continue
to rest upon the promises of God while I and others are in this storm that He
has sent us into. As the lady who was at
the meeting said we have a great and wonderful God who sees fit to answer our
prayers. I trust the Lord.
Memory verses for the week:
Psalm 40:13-15
13. Be
pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; Make haste, O LORD, to help me.
14. Let
those be ashamed and humiliated together who seek my life to destroy it; Let
those be turned back and dishonored who delight in my hurt.
15. Let
those be appalled because of their shame Who say to me “Aha, aha!”
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