The resurrection reminds us of the life giving, Spirit empowering
reality of Christ’s victory over death, sin and Satan. It redirects our often distracted
gaze back to the cross with the guarantee that God has restored us to himself
and given us eternal life. With the promise of our forever union with Christ,
we also gain confidence that every lesser promise will be fulfilled, or as the
apostle Paul put it – every one of his promises are “yes’ and amen” in Christ
(2 Cor 1:20). The certainty that he’s not only secured our eternal destiny but has
taken responsibility for meeting all our needs, enables us to recommit our
hearts to seeking first his Kingdom and righteousness, knowing that all these
other things will be provided as well (Matt 6:33).
If…. then….
If he did not hold back his Son and allowed him to suffer
and die on the cross to restore our broken relationship, then why would he not
give us everything else we need (Rm 8:32)? God guarantees that if we set our hearts on him and his
Kingdom, he will take care of all the other needs. He has written this promise,
along with thousands of others concerning his intention to lovingly look after
his children, and sealed them in the blood of Christ so that we do not have to
wonder if he is really serious. Since he’s already given us the greater gift of
his Son and his Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance, he’ll most definitely
give us the less significant gifts that we need for life so that we can
effectively follow Him.
It takes trust….
Too often there is a huge disconnect in our lives and practice
with regard to trusting him for “all these other things”. I’ve found this to be
true in my own life. I often proclaim without any hesitation trust in his
promise that when I die I will go to be with Christ. But ask me on certain days
if I’m sure about God’s provision for my other perceived needs and I may
flinch. I realize how completely illogical it is for me to say that I’m
trusting Christ to save me, to literally raise me from the dead and give me a resurrection
body, and still live in doubt that God is going to provide all the essentials
for life.
The only way to bridge the gap of this fear and doubt is
through knowing him better, spending time in the Word and prayer. He says that faith comes from hearing
(listening to, trusting and following) his Word (Rm 10:17). The more we learn
about his faithful love, along with his many other characteristics, the more
inclined we are to trust him to do what he says he’ll do in the here and now as
well as the distant future.
One story that is especially inspiring in overcoming the
gulf between trusting in God’s power to transform day to day life and the actual
unbelief we’re living in is of the man who came to Jesus for healing of his
tormented son (Mk 9:14-29). He came complaining that the disciples could not
heal his son, but Jesus turned the conversation back to his own lack of faith
when he basically asked him, “What about you? Do you believe I am who I claim
to be and can transform your life right now in this moment?” Rather than walk
away in shame or even try to cover up his lack of faith he responded with
humility and honesty, “I believe. Help my unbelief” (Mk 9:24, NIV).
Interestingly, his willingness to confess and repent of his unbelief
stands in great contrast to the Pharisees and Sadducees who were, as Isaiah
prophesied and Jesus proclaimed, “ever seeing but not perceiving” (Is 6:9; Mk
4:12). Their self-sufficiency and self-righteousness kept them from seeing their
need for God’s miraculous intervention in salvation as well as daily grace to provide
for their needs. Like the parable of the rich man who had so much “stuff” that
he built a barn to store his excess, they learned to trust in their own
wisdom, resources and strength instead of turning to Christ in childlike faith
and asking him to meet their needs, both the greater and the lesser.
Thousands of years later we realize that we are also immersed
in the same kind of culture – one that either denies the need for God’s power or
has reduced him to a savior who will eventually keep us from eternal
destruction. When we embrace either way of thinking, we miss out on experiencing
his all sufficient presence and provision throughout the minutes of our lives. Instead of truly believing Christ’s command
to seek him first, to love him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and
to trust him to give us everything, we listen to the lies that tell us we have
to seek first our own security and self-preservation. The underlying fear and
unbelief in God’s goodness, ability and power, keeps us from looking to him to
abundantly care for us and supply all our needs. And we end up missing out on a whole lot more
than we could ever imagine.
The great news is we don’t have to keep living like this. We
can call out to the Father with the same prayer a desperate man prayed almost 2,000 years ago when he saw his need for God’s hand in his everyday life, while
also recognizing his own lack of faith – “I believe, help my unbelief!” It’s a
prayer of faith the Father loves to answer that will change the trajectory of
our lives as we make the shift from trusting in own abilities and resources to
allowing Christ to be both Lord and Savior. Letting go of this striving frees
us to rest in his all-sufficient love and provision and enables us to live out
our true purpose in life.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt 6:33).
