I remember attending rugby matches and we would all sing the anthem, no one really believed it, but we all sang it with gusto. These days I wonder how things would be if we really believed and lived by the words of this song.
Of course most New Zealanders’ don’t believe, they are secular, and many of them are ignostic, having no concept of God or Christianity. They desperately need an encounter with God and the revelation of God’s reality for their lives. It’s sad, we have one of the most Christian anthems in the world, beseeching God’s intervention and protection and we haven’t done a thing to tap into the power of the words behind the song.
And I believe if every person on this planet made the decision to allow God to defend them, to intervene on their behalf, to follow the teachings of Christ, this world would be a much better place, it would be turned upside down. And that’s exactly what Christ came to do, turn the world upside down, He came to bring a revolution!
God wants to defend us, He wants to demonstrate His justice, His ability to intervene in our lives in a miraculous way, but sometimes it takes radical faith, radical trust, radical dependence on God to see Him move. Many of us aren’t willing to pay that kind of a price! We want to defend ourselves, we want our own back and we want it now! You say ‘don’t talk to me about waiting and believing God to take care of me, this person is hurting me, this situation is out of control! I’ve got to do something right now, I need to take some action!’
I am convinced that at the heart of Jesus teaching and ministry is a challenge for all of us to allow God to be God. To allow God some room to move in our lives and our circumstances. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and turn the other cheek and to trust that God will settle any score we may or may not have.
And these things are easier said than done, when somebody wrongs us we want to get our own back. God is saying if you trust me, if you really trust me, you will love and forgive that person, pray for them and let Me take care of it. This world is full of so much suffering caused because people really don’t believe God keeps the score, they have to do God’s job for Him!
And Jesus took things to the extreme, he trusted God with His very life. He forgave His enemies, He even forgave those who crucified Him! As he breathed His last breath, He committed His life to the only one who judges fairly. (1 Peter 2:23) He trusted in the justice of God. And this extreme trust He demonstrated changed the world we live in. I’m telling you if you are willing to trust God with your life and even with your very last breath, you will be amazed to see what power will be released in your life, what miracles God will do for you.
And maybe you are walking through some difficult times, maybe you are suffering at the hands of the sinful decisions of others, I dare you to trust God with your life, to let God avenge you in His time, to let God meet out His justice as he sees fit. The most powerful thing you can do for that person is to pray for them, forgive them and release them into the hands of God. Let God be God!
And then there are times when we do all of the above, we do all God requires of us, we leave our issues on the altar, we wait we trust and believe, and nothing seems to happen. It is hard to believe God is just when we see no immediate justice, when God does not seem to want to intervene. My friend, I am writing to you today to challenge you to continue to trust God, you may not see anything but God does, He is keeping score, watching everything.
Sometimes we can be tempted to think that God has forgotten us, that maybe He has taken a break from being God Almighty, the God of the universe. Don’t kid yourself, God is watching your every move, daring you to trust Him, daring you to believe Him, daring you to trust that He is in control.
Don’t be tempted to take matters into you own hands, move only when God moves, do only what He says to do. Let God be God, trust in His integrity, wait on His timing, continue to believe Him for His justice, His intervention. When God comes to bring justice, to reward your faithfulness and obedience to His word, He comes swiftly, suddenly and He moves excessively!
Maybe you are under spiritual attack you can’t seem to break the bondage you are in, that depression you are struggling with, that addiction that grips you, that fear that eats away at your confidence and faith, and there seems to be no relief. I want to encourage you to stand in the victory Christ purchased for you and believe, continue to trust God and His word, continue to believe the enemy will not prevail in your circumstances, continue to believe God’s justice will prevail over your spiritual enemies.
Don’t allow, bitterness, anger and frustration to steal your joy and your faith, stand strong God is about to intervene in your life! God will prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies. Don’t take any short-cuts, don’t stray from the cross God has set before you. Hang tight, hold on to the promises of God, God is building character in you, He’s making you more like Jesus as you wait for His redemption. God will make everything right in His time, redemption is at hand, allow some room in your life for Him to move.
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