Elevate Your Faith
Recently, I shared a post on Facebook about how the Lord had blessed me with some thing I really cared about. He replaced a Yamaha Clavinova piano for me. I’m still somewhat in awe of that act of kindness towards this servant. I had to elevate my faith.
Even more surprising, I find myself thinking, wow, God loves me that much. As if I am surprised. But I heard the Holy Spirit say some thing that really struck at the heart of me. To be surprise that God would be kind to someone he loves it’s just a reflection of how this climate— this environment that we are living in, has gradually sucks the life out of our faith. Thus, we must be shaken and constantly reminded of the goodness of God.
6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin… 8 ¶ And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. Exodus 34:6-8
God is abundant in goodness. God is always good. God is only good. And he challenges us to anticipate his goodness. He encourages us to see examples of his goodness in the things that he has already done. He exhorts us to pursue his goodness in our own lives and the lives of other people. He promises us his goodness.
And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the LORD shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee. Numbers 10:32
8 ¶ And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant: 2 Samuel 7:28
Because without his goodness, we don’t change. Without the goodness of God being manifested in our lives, most of us are inclined to continue walking in the same way doing the same things year after year after year. We put our faith on auto pilot just going through the motion. We are unaware of His desire to be good to us.
But it is the goodness of God that leads us to change the way we think; to repent. That is to return to higher place in our thinking. It is his goodness that inspires us to be better and different people because he is working in us.
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Romans 2:4
His goodness inspires us to elevate our faith. To raise our faith to a higher level of expectation. Because if God loves me enough to give me a piano that I had thought I would never see again; he loves me enough to do many of the things I desire and ask for.
So where has your faith fallen? Where has your level of expectation declined? Where have you stopped believing? Where have you stopped looking for things that mattered to you to come to pass? Where have you stopped anticipating the goodness of God? It is time to look for the goodness.
Psalm 27:13 (KJV)
[I had fainted], unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
It is time to go back and re-examine our level of expectation. It is time to go back and revisit our hopes, goals, and dreams. We must go back and reclaim what we left along the sidelines in the weeds of our disappointments. We need to go back and pick them up. We need to dig up the seedlings and plant them in rich fertile soil of fresh expectation. Look for the goodness of God. Look up again!