Believing versus Assuming

If you are reading this most likely you are a believer.  You have proclaimed Jesus Christ as your Savior.  That is probably the most common factor amongst all of us.  Yet somewhere after that point, we all begin to travel different roads.  One of the most challenging aspects of our journeys is our level of faith.  Please note I did not say measure of faith.....  there is a difference.  Our level of faith truly directs our actions and our thought patterns.  Too often  we operate in assumption versus belief however.  

Assumption:  we have committed ourselves to the Lord and therefore the rest of it is handled.  I don't need to ask, He is going to handle it.  He will tell me whatever He wants and all I have to do is willingly walk into it.  True or false?  Before we pursue the answer, consider this scripture.  Ezra 8:22-23 For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king, "Our God protects all those who worship him, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him." So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer. In this case, Ezra who was high priest understood that as much as he believed in the power of God, he was still compelled to ask God for His protection.  Was he in error?  Did he not believe enough that God was their protector and would watch out for them?

Pray (or some form of that word) appears in the Word 545 times.  Who is praying?  Those that know He is listening.  What are the prayers for?  Everything!  The more that we pray (and by prayer I mean dialogue with God) the more we hear His voice.  But not everyone is praying.  Hard to believe?  I know.  Me too.  The fact is that there is an entire contingent of people that have adopted an attitude of assumption.  Once they accepted Christ as their savior, it was a done deal.  They can continue to live life on their terms and God will cover them - no matter what.  That is what I call assumptive living. We must not buy into the lie of the adversary that we can continue to live life as we used to and still expect to have a relationship with our Lord.  Let's get real.

Ezra was a high priest - privileged to enter the Holy of Holies when at that time no one had access to our Lord.   Yet he clearly understood reverential fear of the Lord.  One must never assume anything (except that He loves us unconditionally).  He wants to hear from us.  He wants to know that we depend on Him and not on our own resources.  Evaluate your own life.  How often have you adopted the attitude, "I can handle this, God.  I don't need to bother you with that."  Hmmm, on the surface that sounds humble doesn't it?  Yet in reality it is arrogance.  What makes us think that our Lord is not concerned about the tiny things of our life?  Matthew 10:29-31 Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.  Thus when we adopt the attitude that we do not need to speak to God about the various aspects of our life, we are dismissing His concern for us and His value for us.

God is calling us into deeper and more intimate relationships with Him.  Just look around you at our world today.  Never has society been darker - at least in our recent generations, and yet never has God's glory been brighter! I was listening to our praise music this morning (Glen has 24 hours worth of praise music on our computer!) and recognized how different Christian music has become in the last few decades - vertical praise versus the horizontal praise of previous generations.  There is nothing wrong with the old hymns and southern gospel except that the majority of it was about Him versus to Him.  How I love our new direction!  I love getting on my face on the floor of our sanctuary at church and being intimate with Him.  That never happened 20 years ago.  Thank you, Lord for inviting us in further into the Throne Room with You to have that intimate experience that is just between you and me.

Getting back to Ezra, he believed that God would protect them which is why with trepidation he did not ask for soldiers to accompany them on their journey back to Jerusalem.  Yet he was not arrogant enough to assume that they could just move forward without first praying and seeking God's favor for them.  Throughout the Old Testament we see this action repeated.  Those walking in God's favor sought His council and His protection in the dangerous situations they faced.  It was only when they ventured forth on their own without consulting Him that difficulties surfaced.  What about your own life?  Do you pattern your behavior after Ezra? 

Operating within a reverential fear of the Lord is a great foundation for life.  Constantly dialoguing with Him is equally as important.  Even in the little things, this dialogue plays an important role.  I remember over three years ago Glen and I were remodeling the house we were to occupy with his mom.  Before any of the new carpet was laid, I prayed and asked God how He would like each room of the house dedicated.  He gave me specific scriptures for each room and I wrote them on the flooring before the carpet pad was laid.  In a corner of each room is a specific scripture for the purpose of that room.  One of my favorites is that in our guest room.  I call it our Psalm 23 room because the first few verses of that Psalm are written in that room.  It is humbling for me to hear our guests share what an incredible night's sleep they had in there.  God has His hand on them.

I want to encourage you to ratchet up your prayer life with Him.  Be intentional in your daily prayer and be specific in your dialogue with Him. Honestly, I struggle still with being specific.  I want to lean back on my stand by attitude of "Whatever You want, God, is cool with me!"  But I hear Him asking me, "Janice, what do you want?"  It is very tough for me to be specific and I know that it is because historically when I have tried to run my life, I have failed miserably and been disappointed time after time.  But I am learning that He will guide me in my dreams and hopes, if I will open my heart and let those things in.  I am trying to trust even more than I have in the past.  I think that it is time I let God out of my "safe" box and dare to explore all that He has for me.  How about you?