battling unbelief part 2

There are several songs we sing in worship services that are geared toward preparing our hearts to heard the Word of God. The song Ancient Words by Lynn DeShazo says, “We have come with open hearts, oh, let the ancient words impart.” Keith and Kristyn Getty’s hymn Speak, O Lord is a prayer in which we ask God to speak to us through the Word. “Take Your truth, plant it deep in us…test our thoughts and our attitudes...” Finally, Paul Baloche’s popular song Open the Eyes of My Heart says we want the Lord to open our hearts to see His glory and holiness.

Too often, I’m afraid, we sing words that we don’t mean. We bring our emotional and spiritual baggage with us to worship, and rather than sacrificing it at the altar, we sit with it in our laps wondering why a loving God would call us to such difficulty or suffering. On the other hand, I have been in worship services where I was so preoccupied with something good that I sat smugly without paying real attention to what the Lord might have me to hear. Whatever the case, we are clearly called to lay everything on the altar of sacrifice before the Lord and humbly live the entirety of our lives in His love, care, and grace. Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.” In 2 Chronicles 20, when Judah faced an unstoppable enemy, King Jehoshaphat prays, “We are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (v.12). Later, the Lord reminds them, “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s” (v.15).

Jehoshaphat believed in God’s faithfulness and deliverance. How much better could we be equipped to deal with life’s struggles if we prayed like Jehoshaphat? What if rather than allowing our problems and struggles, or even our joys, to get in the way, we confessed our unbelief of not allowing Christ complete Lordship in our lives, and approached Him in humility. We do not know what to do, so let us focus our eyes on Him.

Psalm 55:23 goes on to say, “He will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Righteousness comes through forgiveness, and forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb that was slain. There is strength in His name and there is power in His Word. If there is any comfort to be found in times of sorrow or suffering, it is through the Word of God. Instead of keeping up our obstacles that distract us in worship, let us vanquish the power of unbelief in our lives and live fully under the grace of Christ, giving up all that we have to Him.

The second verse of Gettys’ hymn ends with the lines, “Words of power that can never fail, Let their truth prevail over unbelief.” May this be our constant prayer, so Satan will lose his foothold in our hearts, and we will experience the fullness and richness of God’s compassion, mercy, peace, comfort, and love.