April 28th, 2023
Friday, April 28
Patiently, With Confidence
By: Anna Williams
“Jesus said to him, Because you have seen Me, Thomas, do you now believe (trust, have faith)? Blessed and happy and to be envied are those who have never seen Me and yet have believed and adhered to and trusted and relied on Me.”- John 20:28-30 AMPC
“But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently. And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
-Romans 8:25-28 NLT
I recently caught up on the Christian series called The Chosen. I’m usually quite skeptical about these types of shows because so often I’ve felt that the directors take too much artistic license with the historical content or on occasion, straight-up fabricate the truth; but I was impressed with this series.
There was a particular scene that resonated with me where Jesus and “Little James” have a conversation about healing. Little James has struggled with a limp and chronic pain his entire life; he’s a follower of the miracle worker, Jesus Christ, yet he is unhealed. The response that Jesus gives in the scene is not based on any account in the Bible (so don’t take it literally), but it had such profound theology behind it that to me it tracks well when compared to other scripture. Jesus’ response was that James’ life would hold its own incredible testimony because James would heal others and would do incredible things for the Kingdom DESPITE his own physical frailties. He would exhibit a faith that says, “I believe you can heal me completely, but I also trust your reasons if you don’t. Either way, I want to serve you”.
Dear friend, don’t misunderstand me. I don’t share this word flippantly or without my own pain behind it. This is HARD WORK. I cannot tell you the number of times I have begged God to heal my child of her rare disease and change our circumstances. But the answer has been “My grace is sufficient for you,” each time.
So, we turn from the unknown, and we focus on the known: I love and believe in Jesus. The Holy Spirit will help me in my weakness. I trust God’s ways are working together for my good.
We cling to these truths as we wait patiently and with confidence.
Patiently, With Confidence
By: Anna Williams
“Jesus said to him, Because you have seen Me, Thomas, do you now believe (trust, have faith)? Blessed and happy and to be envied are those who have never seen Me and yet have believed and adhered to and trusted and relied on Me.”- John 20:28-30 AMPC
“But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently. And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
-Romans 8:25-28 NLT
I recently caught up on the Christian series called The Chosen. I’m usually quite skeptical about these types of shows because so often I’ve felt that the directors take too much artistic license with the historical content or on occasion, straight-up fabricate the truth; but I was impressed with this series.
There was a particular scene that resonated with me where Jesus and “Little James” have a conversation about healing. Little James has struggled with a limp and chronic pain his entire life; he’s a follower of the miracle worker, Jesus Christ, yet he is unhealed. The response that Jesus gives in the scene is not based on any account in the Bible (so don’t take it literally), but it had such profound theology behind it that to me it tracks well when compared to other scripture. Jesus’ response was that James’ life would hold its own incredible testimony because James would heal others and would do incredible things for the Kingdom DESPITE his own physical frailties. He would exhibit a faith that says, “I believe you can heal me completely, but I also trust your reasons if you don’t. Either way, I want to serve you”.
Dear friend, don’t misunderstand me. I don’t share this word flippantly or without my own pain behind it. This is HARD WORK. I cannot tell you the number of times I have begged God to heal my child of her rare disease and change our circumstances. But the answer has been “My grace is sufficient for you,” each time.
So, we turn from the unknown, and we focus on the known: I love and believe in Jesus. The Holy Spirit will help me in my weakness. I trust God’s ways are working together for my good.
We cling to these truths as we wait patiently and with confidence.
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