Do we realize that we have access to the wisdom that created
and sustains the universe, the wisdom that knows the truth about past, present
and future? We have been given the Holy
Spirit as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In the cross, we have received life, the real
tree of life is indeed the cross of Christ, the Spirit gives us access to the
greatest database of wisdom the world could imagine and yet we rarely query it
because we think we already possess it through other sources. The cross itself tells us the folly of that
worldly wisdom, that the way of life is through His death on the cross. The fear of the Lord, who possesses true
wisdom and knowledge, is indeed the beginning of wisdom but we are also
required to persevere in that “fear” to gain more wisdom but we do so from love
and that we are the beloved.
There is indeed an inextricable connection between anxiety
and faith. Do we believe God is both
great and good? When I was a kid I was
taught a meal time prayer, “God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our
food. By His hand we must be fed. Thank you God for daily bread.” The two affirmations that begin that prayer
should be deeply woven into our lives as the central truths that govern them
and guide us. If we really believe that
He is both great and good, we would increase in faith always, even when times
are tough because we would be constantly looking for evidence, even in pain,
for those two things. How long do you think
the Israelites in the wilderness got up each morning and peeked out of the tent
to see if He had indeed continued to provide manna? At some point they took it for granted and
the next step was to despise it and want meat.
Can we learn the humility to truly be thankful for daily bread in all
things and to be so thankful for what He provides that we don’t begin despising
it? Only if we seek the kingdom first.
What does James mean by the prayer of faith? He seems to absolutely believe that the
prayer of faith will result in healing the sick and forgiveness of sins. He then speaks of the prayers of the
righteous having great power. What then
is a righteous man? Jesus alone is
righteous, we know that, but then he points to Elijah, a man considered
righteous by the Jews but whom James says, had a nature like ours. We know that he did because he grew
recalcitrant in his service to the Lord when it seemed the Lord wouldn’t deal
with Jezebel and she continued to seek Elijah’s life. Even though he had a nature like ours, even
though he had his moment of doubt and despair at the goodness of the Lord, his
prayers were heard. In Jewish thought, a
righteous man isn’t a sinless man, only one whose aim is to do the Lord’s
will. Their expectation is that no one
will do so perfectly. The prayer of faith
is prayer offered by those who confess their sins, who pursue righteousness,
and who trust the Lord to be able to do what we ask and believe in His goodness
to do good.
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