My heart bleeds for a good friend of mine who is going through such hardship. He and his wife received a calling to lead a hundred. At first his wife didn’t want to go, but the Lord gave her not one, but two signs that this was exactly where He wanted them to fly.
My friend and his wife were very happy and excited. They were doing well and everybody was guided to a next level, except for the lazy ones who had to start working. To make a long story short, he was eventually asked to fly away. He fought hard against it, because it’s their calling, but they’re faced with one curve ball after the other.
We as friends tried to support them, but I realised how difficult it must have been for him to be blocked by one wall after another. Walls too high for a person to scale.
And the day before he had to go and defend his case, he got a call from a person he had visited a day or two before. She and her husband had Covid! Therefore, he could not be present to defend his case.
Things like these paralyse you. It breaks your hope in pieces. The giant of doubt rises up before you. You start doubting yourself and doubting whether God is really present.
Then this verse wouldn’t really make sense either: 17When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee-God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable.
He wanted to make absolutely sure that His descendants will never doubt…
I learnt a lot from my friend’s struggles. In the same WhatsApp telling me about the Covid and that he couldn’t attend his case, he concludes with the following: “The Lord is so adamant that it is His fight that He doesn’t even want me there!”. Followed by a line of laughing smileys.
The Lord has told him many times recently through different people and events that He, God, will fight the battle for him. God promised him.
And even though it is very difficult for him, even though he really wants to be there himself to pull on his boxing gloves – and yes, I know him, he wants to -he steps back and believes that God will keep His promise. It’s not easy for him to do this, but now he sends the doubt south. With everything in him, he holds onto the promise: “God will fight the battle for me”.
God made an oath to Himself. With respect, God said: “I promise, on My word of honour, I will never let down Abraham and his descendants. I will keep the promise I made to them for ever and ever!”
My friend holds onto that. You can also hold onto that. Sometimes, that is all that we can do.
Scripture
Hebrews 6:13-18
Reflection
How strong does your doubt flow?
Do you believe that God will fulfil His promises in your life?
Where in your life do you need God’s promises to come true right now?
Prayer
Our Lord, I desperately need Your promises to become true in my life. It’s not going well with me and I realise again that I cannot do it on my own. Please forgive all my sins. Amen.