Deborah, of Chocolate and Coffee, is hosting In "Other" Words Tuesdays today on her blog. Please pay her a visit and see what she and other participants in this meme had to say. The quote Deborah chose was:
God said Jonah was swallowed by a whale, it was a whale. Out of curiosity, I looked in the Blue Letter Bible lexicon to see what it said about the whale mentioned in the Matthew 12:40. The Hebrew word for whale is koilia. The outline of biblical usage for the word whale means 1) a sea monster, whale, huge fish.
No, I don't need a scientist either to prove to me the infalability of the Word of God. I have total and complete faith in the Bible. If God said it, I believe it. I don't care whether it's "impossible." I know better. I completely trust in His Word and rejoice that God's Holy Spirit inspired man to pen His Words to us.
"And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." ~ 2 Peter 1:19-21
But how do I know? How can I be sure? Faith.
Complete faith in God. I had a choice to make when I accepted Christ. Would I believe in Him wholeheartedly or just pick and choose what suited me? Picking and choosing is not an option. It's all or nothing with God.
You either believe it all or believe none of it.
"Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands. They stand this day according to Your ordinances, for all things are Your servants." ~ Psalms 119:89-91
"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which are visible." ~ Hebrews 11:3
I choose to believe it all by faith and I pray that I never have a doubting moment in me. Oh, I've wondered, "Lord, but how?!" And somehow I know, God provided the size of the whale's belly to hold Jonah. And God provided the size of faith that I need to believe that.
When our faith wavers, doubts creep in and we begin to question...
Let your faith be steadfast, my friend. Proclaim to God that you acknowledge Him as the author of the Bible, that you acknowledge His truths passed down through prophets and men of old, that you acknowledge His Word as the foundation.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." ~ John 1:1-5
Something I have learned in the last few years of my faith...as long as I'm not questioning God, His holiness and His sovreignty, I believe it's okay to wonder about things in the Bible and ask questions of people in the know. Maybe a trusted pastor or do some research like looking up words in the lexicon or dictionary. There are numerous online resources available. The best resource is God, of course. Going to Him in prayer, asking for wisdom through His Holy Spirit and having Him clear up something is as refreshing as sweet tea on the hottest, humid day in July.
And it's okay to not understand things. I believe that there are some things we will not know until we are Home in Heaven, and that's okay with me. I believe God will provide me with what I need to know and understand when I need to know and understand it, and if I've exhausted all my resources in seeking a why, I'm comfortable with it remaining a mystery until I am called Home.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." ~ Isaiah 55:8-9
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15 comments:
"And it's okay to not understand things. I believe that there are some things we will not know until we are Home in Heaven, and that's okay with me."
That's the part where belief becomes faith...when we are okay with not knowing just trusting and willing to be obedient because we trust Him.
Great post, Laurie Ann!
Oh how I love the lexicon! Great post. It is okay to not understand some things and do some questioning. How else do we personally discover God's heart!
Thanks!
-esthermay
"I choose to believe it all by faith and I pray that I never have a doubting moment in me."
Absolutely! It is choosing to believe it. And I love that you remind us that it is okay not to understand...sometimes we need to give ourselves permission to "not get it." Great post this week!
"You either believe it all or believe none of it."
I love that - reminds me of the post I had not too long ago on knowing what we believe and why we believe. It is an important step to our level of faith.
-Blessings, Laurie
Amen! Faith is so important... it's okay to ask "How, God?" as long as we still believe He did it. It's when we start saying "If He did it..." or "He can't do it.." that we run into a problem. Great post!
"Going to Him in prayer, asking for wisdom through His Holy Spirit and having Him clear up something is as refreshing as sweet tea on the hottest, humid day in July."
This is a really neat verbal picture. Thanks for sharing.
What a great post Laurie Ann! Thanks for contributing today.
Blessings and hugs!
"And it's okay to not understand things. I believe that there are some things we will not know until we are Home in Heaven, and that's okay with me."
That reminds me of what David said,
LORD, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, nor with things too profound for me. Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forever. (Psa 131:1-3)
The more time we have spent just resting on His shoulder, the easier it is for us to simply trust Him, our Heavenly Father.
Great post my friend, have missed your precious words.
Hello my friend. I am trying to get my bloggy friends addresses. Do you mind giving me yours? You can just leave me a separate comment and I just won't post it.
Thank you my friend.
Kim
Laurie Ann,
I enjoyed reading this post today. I'm with you. God said it. I believe it. That settles it for me.
Blessings to you today sweet sister.
This is the very definition of faith, believing what God says and having the courage to do what He directs us to do, even though it may seem impossible or unwise. So long as we are following the Lord, we are on the right path.
I see others have quoted this, but since it really expresses how I feel too I think it is worth quoting again :).
"I believe that there are some things we will not know until we are Home in Heaven, and that's okay with me. I believe God will provide me with what I need to know and understand when I need to know and understand it, and if I've exhausted all my resources in seeking a why, I'm comfortable with it remaining a mystery until I am called Home."
Thanks for stating so perfectly the way so many of us Christians feel. Great post!
Yep, it's absolutely fine to ask questions as long as we can accept no answer if God deems it necessary.
Faith is key.
Laurie Ann,
So very well put. Thanks for sharing!
Cheryl
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