Philippians 1:6
“I am SURE of this very thing – that He who began a GOOD work in you WILL carry it on to COMPLETION until the Day of Messiah Yeshua”
It is easy for the human heart to get discouraged during times of trial, and to feel as though the difficult circumstances surrounding us are somehow hindering the work of God in our lives. However, the Scriptures paint a different reality in that, despite these circumstances, God is there completing the good work He has faithfully started in our lives. We may not understand how these trials can possibly fit into God’s plans, or how this is part of Him completing the good work He began in us, but we can rest assured that what is written in His Word is true and reliable.
God promises us that “all things work together for the good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes” (Romans 8:28). God also promises us in Proverbs 16:9 that “the heart of man plans his course, but Adonai directs his steps.” These Scriptures should awaken in us an incredible sense of assurance in God’s faithfulness towards us who believe and bring a certain level of hope and encouragement to our hearts. He is the good and faithful Shepherd of our lives, He will never leave us nor forsake us, can be trusted throughout every circumstance, and is the one who began the good work in us and will carry it on to completion. Yes, even now in the midst of this trial, He is completing the work He has started in us all.
The Word of God is alive and active, speaking truth into our lives, helping us establish a firm foundation to stand on while we go through life on this side of eternity. Please take some time to quietly meditate on the passages above and ask yourself these three questions.
1: What truth is being spoken in these passages?
2: What does this mean for me?
3: How should I respond?
For the past nine weeks, as the coronavirus upended the world with fear, stay-at-home mandates, financial loss and isolation, we’ve turned to Scripture for the hope we each need to endure rough times.
Ancient Israel had a hope: to return to the Land God had promised to give her. Yet, she had been in exile in Babylon for so long that I’m sure the hope of many began to wane, if not completely disappear.
Our God is the Master Composer. The intricacies He has purposefully arranged on His grand scale of time are often indistinguishable to the human ear, unless we strain to hear. As we journey through the story of Ezra-Nehemiah in the days ahead, listen in for a pattern, a 3-part harmony, as God composes another movement in His song through the mouths of His prophets. See if you can make out the sounds.
The words God gave to His prophets often told about events in the current time, near future and a time even further in the future. They are always pointing us forward, but what were they pointing us forward to?
