Gentle Reader,
Go.
Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
– Matthew 7:24-25
Hear and do.
Adam, who heard and did not do, bringing chaos to the world. Noah, who heard and did, building the boat when it had never rained. Abraham, who heard and did to a crazy extent, even to the point of sacrificing his son. Rahab, who heard the faintest whisper and did, her faith hanging on a scarlet cord. Jonah, who heard and did not do and heard some more in the belly of a whale and did but didn’t like it. Job, who heard and did, yet suffered. Mary, who heard and did, surrendering to the call of God.
Obedience. Discipline.
We expect a good outcome. We think the hard road will end.
But look.
When the rain descended, when the floods came, when the winds blew and beat on the house.
Not if.
When.
We pray, “God, increase my faith” but imagine bulging bank accounts and perfect homes. We do not picture the toil and the trouble. But tell me, where is faith built, where is trust grown, if not in the harshest of conditions?
God is not mean. He delights in being good to us, His children. But there are times when He tests us. It’s beyond my feeble mind to sort out what is willed by Him and what arises as a consequence of living in a fallen world. (It’s beyond your mind, too). Honestly, I think it’s pointless to figure that out. Job never did get an answer. He was instead presented with a question: Will you trust Me now?
That’s the test. The pain and the loss, those are the incidentals. That question – that’s what matters.
We can’t answer if we haven’t practiced tuning our ears to the sound of His voice. So hear. Listen to what He has to say. Be comforted and encouraged. Don’t be too proud or stupid to enter into the holy work of submission, of conviction. Then do. Take the hammer and nails that He places in your hand and build. Follow His direction.
For the rain will come.
Stop.
Reminds me of CCR –
And I wonder,
still I wonder,
who’ll stop the rain?
I have to confess that I am a bit tired of the rain, the constant of circling the drain, getting ever closer. If there was a meaning in it before, it’s way past its sell-by date. I’m just being beaten senseless.
But I haven’t lost faith, because I don’t believe this is a test. It just sucks, for God and me, but it’s a part of free will in me and in creation. Faith not chosen is a Potemkin village.
#1 at FMF this week.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2016/07/your-dying-spouse-178-something-big-fmf.html
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Wow Marie. I love this! You are right…faith is built and His faithfulness known…really known…many times in the times that stretch us most. Thanks you for writing on Build tonight. Your words blessed me!
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Marie,
“where is faith built, where is trust grown, if not in the harshest of conditions?”
Amen!
It takes no faith to believe in God when things are smooth. When we’re panicked, under the water we’ve just walked in, disoriented and believing we’ll drown, we can’t hear His calm voice above the waves or see His hand outstretched to us. We’re eyes closed, gulping water instead of air, begging the trial to be over already. Then that hand lifts us and we catch our breath and He looks at us kindly and helps us back into the boat. We forget that it was our faith that got us out of the boat in the first place and that nobody else left the boat.
Great post! I loved your writing with all the different people.
Storms do come, but there is always an end to them. I love that the Bible says evening then morning. Dark then light.
Light always comes.
Love you!
-Tammy
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What a wonderfully challenging post, Marie. Obedience is hard work, yes. But it is holy work. Thank you for this reminder.
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It’s been interesting how so many things that have crossed my path lately – articles, blog posts, sermons, etc – have been about taking a risk. Trusting Him. Since I just moved halfway across the country to answer His call, I’m hoping it’s just a reminder. But I guess if I have to move again, I will. Because I think it’s risker to stay when God says go. His promises are the only thing we can build anything solid on.
Thank you for this eloquent word tonight.
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All the yeses! I love the direction you went here friend! They all obeyed didn’t they? Yet we still have to trust. I’m in the #5 spot this week.
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Marie,
I’m not sure if my first comment worked. WordPress is touchy. Anyway, the way you wove together each person’s story-brilliant! Thank you for such a poetic way of bringing it all together tonight.
Love,
Tammy
(#7 this week)
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Marie, I love being your neighbor, becuase your honest, true words challenge me to think. You’re so right that we should choose obedience and build when God gives us that hammer. When we walk in obedience to Him, we won’t avoid all the rain, but we will know the closeness of His presence with us.
And I completely agree. God does test us. Sometimes to prepare us for coming “battles.” Other times to see how our obedience-meter is working.
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Powerful! Thanks for sharing! #FMF friend
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Thanks so much for sharing – this is a great reminder of the fathers and mothers of faith and their choices and lives before God. We sometimes forget they were just people with choices to trust God or not, just like us. Thanks for the encouragement today. Blessings to you! FMF #11
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Not enough words to tell you how much I love this. Perfect for today. Just PERFECT. xoxo
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Such important words, Marie. Thank you for challenging and encouraging us.
On Sunday our pastor preached on the ten commandments. He pointed out that they are words of love that if we submit to bring life, but if we choose to ignore will (and are!) bring(ing) suffering. Submitting to His will, no matter how hard, brings ultimate freedom. A lesson for me too. Let me surrender and submit, and seek His face in all I do.
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“We pray, “God, increase my faith” but imagine bulging bank accounts and perfect homes. We do not picture the toil and the trouble. But tell me, where is faith built, where is trust grown, if not in the harshest of conditions?” Very compelling!
Visiting from fmf.
XO
Tammy
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Dear friends and fellow authors, I’m so sorry that I haven’t responded to your comments or visited your posts. I had hoped to do so today, but the truth is that I’m simply feeling awful. I don’t have the energy. I appreciate you all.
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Sending you prayers and a virtual hug, Marie!
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