Why Do You Believe?

Psalm 48: 1, 14

1 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,

In the city of our God, His holy mountain.

14 For such is God,

Our God forever and ever;

He will guide us until death.

Why Do You Believe?

I believe in God the Father, I believe in Jesus Christ, I believe in the Holy Spirit and He’s given us new life.  (We Believe by Newsboys).    Do you believe?  Do you believe that Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised as this psalmist writes?  Do you believe that He is Our God forever and ever?  Do you believe that He will guide us until death?

Yesterday, as I read a dialogue between my husband and someone he went to high school with, I was pondering so many things.  Things like, can I defend my faith to someone who does not believe the same as me, can I have a healthy debate and not let my emotions get the best of me and/or can I stand firm in my foundation that I find in Christ?   Have you ever thought about why you believe what you believe?  Is it just because your parents taught you those things or have you done your own research?

My faith is strong but I want my knowledge about the history and theology to be strong as well.  I must begin to take time each day not just reading God’s word but also studying His word and books on theology.  I know that God is great and He should be praised.  I know that He is forever and that He will guide us until death.  How do I know?  I know by the stirring in my soul by the Holy Spirit, by reading His word and by my own experiences that I had to trust Him.  

When you are faced with a friend who is dying, do you believe that He is guiding them until death?  If they have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior then there is nothing to fear.  But our human side comes out and we have doubt and fear.  It is this selfish side that doesn’t want them to leave us.  We don’t want to face life without them.  So does that mean that we don’t really believe those things above?  I don’t think so.  God knows how we feel.  He knows we love our friend dearly.  We must remember that He has been there too.  

Today, I struggle with the loss of my mom.  I am missing her a lot.  I think that as I read blogs of dear sweet women who are struggling with cancer it is bringing many emotions and memories to the surface again.  Do you remember Kara Tippetts, from Mundane Faithfulness?  She went home to be with the Lord yesterday and it hit me hard.  Why?  I don’t even know her but I know her story.  Her story of being a mother, a wife, a friend and a daughter.  But most importantly, she was a daughter of the King.  I found myself just crying as I read the post that came across my Facebook feed about her Homecoming.  Thankfully my husband just listened to me and heard my heart for this dear lady that I didn’t even know.  The great thing was he did not look at me like I had lost my mind.  He knew what was driving these emotions and he just listened.  

So today, I cling to the promise that I find on that hill far away, on Golgotha.  The promise of eternal life with my heavenly Father.  So my challenge to you today is to ponder these questions: Do you believe in God the Father?  Do you believe in Jesus in Christ?  Do you believe in the Holy Spirit and that He has given us new life?  Do you believe in the Crucifixion?  Do you believe that He conquered death?  Do you believe in the Resurrection?  Do you believe that He is coming back again?  if you believe then why?  Go discover why?  

Prayer: Father, I pray for those who are suffering with terminal illnesses.  I pray that they know you as their Lord and Savior.  I Pray that they feel your Holy Spirit stirring in their soul.  Please comfort them in their time of need.  Please comfort those who are struggling with the loss of loved ones.  Help my friends who are reading this be able to defend their faith and discover why they  believe what they believe.  In Jesus Name I Pray, Amen.