It’s Friday…Watch Your Faith Grow

A New Year begins today, 2021. Most of us are glad to see 2020 exit into the history books. Wow, what a historic year it has been, huh? And God was right in the middle of it, working out His plan and purpose for our good among all of our concerns.

Yes, God has done great things. I’m absolutely convinced His greatness was on display this past year like it always has been for centuries before us. Many of them are recorded in the written Word by generations who wanted their descendants to know of His faithfulness. Many of them are the subjects of biographies and church traditions. But many of them are relics of history, forgotten by a negligent creation. They are often buried in the minds of those who have passed on. Sometimes they are faint hints in our subconscious that God has done something good for us, but we can’t remember what. The wonders were marvelous at the time, but they were wasted in the present. Far too often, we don’t let the lingering goodness of God linger long enough, huh?

Why not? What is it about us that can remember who insulted us decades ago but can’t remember the deliverance God gave us last year? Seriously, we can hold a grudge for a lifetime, but when asked how God has answered our prayers in the past year, we struggle for a response. It’s not that He hasn’t answered our prayers, even dramatically sometimes. No, the problem is that we are always focused on the next hurdle, the next trial, the next goal. Much too often, God is only relevant in our minds when He is relevant to today’s needs.

The thing is, He would actually seem more relevant to today’s needs if we could rehearse His past victories. It’s much easier to pray to the God who delivered us from an impossible situation when we remember the deliverance, wouldn’t you agree? We pray with faith when His miraculous strength stands out in our minds. We pray with uncertainty and doubt when it doesn’t.

“They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.” (Psalm 78:11)

In 2021, let’s make sure His strength stands out in our mind. If you’re not in the practice of keeping a prayer log (be at peace, most of us aren’t), begin the practice now, in this New Year. It doesn’t need to be elaborate (although I have a couple of friends who are reading this right now and I’m certain they have already begun to create in their mind a detailed spread sheet design). Just make a simple list of what you ask God for, and when He answers, check it off. Then in a day of distress (and those will come in 2021), review all the checks – and Watch Your Faith Grow. The spiritual markers we put up in our life will largely determine the depth of our faith today, as well as in the months and years ahead. God is doing great things, let’s not forget them.

May You and Yours have a Blessed New Year and a memorable weekend. Make it a priority to worship The LORD with those who know how great God is and who remember the great things He has done, is doing, and will do in the days ahead.

All For Jesus – Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else.

“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, The King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see, to Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:15b-16)