Standing firm or tossed around?
A while back I was pulled aside by a visiting team member. “If I get bitten by a mosquito, should I be concerned?” she asked. I assured her we were not in an area prone for malaria and there was no need to be concerned. “Well, is there anything I should be concerned about? I don’t have health insurance and I came on this trip in faith.” The nurse practitioner and I advised her to make sure she was washing her hands and eating only food we provided the team but assured her she should be fine.
Today, as I reflect on that conversation, I am reminded of times in my life when I stepped out in faith. I stepped out trusting in God, but as I did I began to doubt. Would He really do as He said? What should I be concerned about?
The truth is this: If He said it, He will do it. My job isn’t to worry about what might happen and be prepared, but to follow Him wholeheartedly. How many nights without sleep or days without joy have I lost for stepping out, believing God has called me to do something, and then allowing myself to doubt, to be concerned?
The Bible is pretty clear: “He who started a good work in us will bring it about to completion” (Phil 1:6). James says that “he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” Faith and doubt cannot mix.
So the next time I am tempted to doubt God’s direction and promise, I hope to stand firm. I desire to unwaveringly follow Him through both the joyful and difficult circumstances, trusting it is all in His hands.
Julie Beader
October 7, 2011Good stuff! Thanks for sharing, Jennifer. 🙂