Roots grow deeper, but all is grey. Ground, skies, and leaves brittle and blowing in the winter wind. Roots grow deeper, but nothing is green. Only in our dreams and imagination are plants flourishing and lush. Roots grow deeper, but how can we know? There is no sign up here of life down there. Roots grow deeper, so faith presses on. From the winter of faith-sowing comes the summer of sight-reaping.
Week 6 Day 1
Pray:
Ask God to reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
Hebrews 11:11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
Reflect:
Many believe that miracles are impossible (though this often doesn’t keep them from asking for one when they are in desperate situations). They believe the universe is a closed system, meaning it is all that exists. Since all is “natural,” by default there can be no “supernatural.” There is no “scientific” reason to believe that everything that exists is natural. Science cannot tell us this; it can only tell us some things about the natural realm. Miracles are logically possible since the universe is not a “closed system.” It is not self-creating. It was created by a supernatural “mind.” So it is entirely possible that this creator also continues to involve himself actively in what he has made. Normally, he allows things to happen normally. But occasionally when it fits his overall purposes, he acts in a way that bypasses or speeds up normal processes. This is a miracle. It is intervention by God into the normal processes of the physical world. If you leave food on the countertop, it will begin to degrade. If you intervene by putting in the refrigerator, you will slow the process of the food spoiling. If you inject a certain medicine into a sick person (who would have died without the injection), you have interrupted the “normal” process. God superseded the normal process for giving birth to a child in Abraham and Sarah. They were both past normal child-bearing age, but God intervened and Sarah was able to bear a child. Why did God do this? There is one answer but two sides to that answer. She bore a son because God willed and caused it. She bore a child because Abraham believed God when he said he would give him a son. These two facts are not in opposition; they are in collaboration. Of course, Abraham’s faith could have been misplaced. He could have thought God promised a son, but he didn’t. He could have believed that if he could muster enough faith then God would be compelled to do what Abraham wanted. But in reality, Abraham had faith in what God had actually promised. Faith must be based on fact, on what God has actually said. Faith must lead to action. Abraham had to take steps in order to experience the promise of God. Close the gap on your faith today by taking action on what God has promised. Do you know what he has promised? Make sure that it is in fact a promise to you. Be sure you are reading the Scriptures correctly. Most of his promises will include challenge, difficulty, and seeing him prove faithful in the midst of them. Most of his promises will lead to you loving and serving others and experiencing his love in the midst of your sacrifice.
Pray:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today.