Questions

How do we know?  How do we know when something is a divine appointment or merely a coincidence?  Can we know for certain when something is received from God or merely the creativity of our imaginations?  How come it seems some are on the right path because things are going so well for them and others, though of noble character, may seem slighted on the path they are on?  What is the difference?  So many questions in a life of faith, yet so few answers.  Why does faith have to be so complicated? 

Did Abraham wonder about that night he and God spoke under the stars?  Were the questions running through his head if it even really happened or if it was even God at all?  How did his waiting affect his daily walk with God?  What about his daily life with his family and friends?  Did discouragement ever enter his heart?

Did Joseph (NT) know for sure it was an angel that appeared to him in a dream about Mary being impregnated by the Holy Spirit?  After all it was only a dream and don’t we all dream?  How could he know for sure if it was divine or just his own wishful  subconscious because of his love for Mary? 

A confident teenage Joseph seemed so certain of his purpose in life following a dream; yet, he was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery!  How was he able to look at his life as being blessed when all the while he was really a slave?  For years he waited before he saw some real favor in his life…maybe even with the fulfillment of his interpretation of Pharoahs’ dreams about the famine in Egypt.  How did he keep his faith?

How does anyone keep their faith and continue to step out in the unknown of the prophetic, the unknown and the waiting periods of life? How do we discern what is Your voice from our own and even those from the outside?  How do we continue living a life of faith when waiting sees no end in sight to fulfillment? 

Lord, encourage our hearts with a love that trusts deeply even when our own reasoning confuses us.  Let us stand on Your character and faithfulness when ours lacks and falters.  Carry us when we collapse from discouragement and restore a renewed strength to hope so we can take a stand on Your promises. Draw us into Your word in such a way that it flows through our veins and is the life blood of who we are.  We need to always remain hopeful, but without Your Spirit to quench our thirst we become parched in a wilderness of despair.  Only You Lord can call water from the rock in the barrenness of our soul. Please forgive us when we doubt, and renew our faith!  There is hope; there is power; and there life in Your name Lord Jesus.