Letting Faith Arise

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:22-24

We want so much to walk by sight, and not by faith! But would knowing the next event in our lives bring any greater peace? I don’t think I would have known peace for years if I had been told in advance that at age 43 I would be stricken with a serious blood cancer. What a blessing it was that God did not allow me to have that information! He protects me by promising to always be with me and to always carry me through the trials; I don’t need to know the future when I can stand on His promises. I don’t need to know the timing of my trials when I can rest in the truth and knowledge that He will carry me through the hard times when they come. I know all of this and believe all of this in my head, but some days, this truth does not rest so easily in my heart. Sometimes, my heart resists fully embracing this truth and the peace that it would bring. Some moments, I can become overwhelmed with anxiety about my situation that I don’t even know how to pray. And I know that I am not the only one. 

About a year and a half ago, I attended a concert by Christian singer Chris Tomlin, and I was struck by a testimony that Tomlin’s pastor Lou Giglio gave on stage. Giglio, who makes wonderful videos on the wonders of creation and who appears to have his life completely together as a faithful Christian, shared that he went through a long period of intense anxiety. His anxiety was so great he could not make it through the night without feeling like he was having a heart attack. His anxiety began to paralyze him physically and emotionally and he could not move through the fear until one day God reminded him of Psalm 46. “Be still, and know that I am God…God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way…The Lord of hosts is with us.” (excerpts from Psalm 46) Songwriter Chris Tomlin wrote a song for his pastor to be used as an encouragement for himself and others, and I have found it to be a great source of peace for myself as well. Reading the Psalms or listening to music based on Scripture can be a great way to get through the times of anxiety, those times when we are so anxious that we don’t even know how to begin to pray. As Tomlin reminds us, sometimes we need to “let faith arise” in our souls to remind ourselves that there IS a healer, that His love IS deeper than the sea, that His mercy IS unfailing, and His arms ARE a fortress for the weak.

Dear God, Sometimes it is so hard to walk by faith. Sometimes my faith seems so small and insufficient that I can hardly remember Your promises. When fear and anxiety threaten to overshadow Your peace and Your truth, Lord, rescue me. Strengthen my faith, open my eyes to Who You are, surround me with Your peace, and shower me with Your mercy and grace. I pray this not just for me, Lord, but for all who struggle with anxiety and fear. In Christ’s name, Amen.

I Lift My Hands by Chris Tomlin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbNK50T35wY

Be still, there is a healer
His love is deeper than the sea
His mercy, it is unfailing
His arms are a fortress for the weak

Let faith arise
Let faith arise

I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart, these things I remember
You are faithful, God, forever

Be still, there is a river
That flows from Calvary's tree
A fountain for the thirsty
Pure grace that washes over me

So let faith arise
Let faith arise
Open my eyes
Open my eyes

I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart, these things I remember
You are faithful, God
You are faithful, God, forever