A Community of Grace »

Clear skies can be quickly overshadowed by the gathering of dark rain clouds. Sometimes the clouds unleash a gentle and short-lived rain. At other times it is torrential and relentless. But without the temporary gloom of clouds and rain, lush landscapes would wither and die.

So too, the fragrant fruit of godly faith cannot be developed without clouds that bring rainstorms upon our souls. When sudden difficulties come upon us, we choose to believe God’s promise of keeping us securely in His steadfast love as we patiently receive the rains that He allows. When we feel deluged and enveloped in heartache, fear, and trouble, we cling to God’s Word, depending on the Holy Spirit to obey it despite our distressed emotions. God will use our circumstances, even the darkest ones, for His good and glory. As we seek Him in confident dependence, He will grow us in deeper faith and godly character.

How do we persevere with confident hope in the gloom of clouds? Know that clouds are most frequently associated with God’s presence in the Bible. He revealed Himself and spoke to Moses from within a thick cloud. God’s presence was in a pillar of cloud by day that led the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land. Three disciples were overshadowed by a cloud at the transfiguration of Jesus. Filled with fright as they entered into it, God’s voice spoke from the cloud, revealing the mighty presence of Jesus.

As He was with those men, God is always with us in our clouds. He speaks to us, His beloved children, as he did to them, assuring us of His love, power, and faithfulness to accomplish all that concerns us.

What clouds are presently overshadowing you? What do you see in your clouds? Look beyond the darkness and see only Jesus. Invite Him with an expectant heart of praise to work deeper faith in you through your storm. The sunshine of God’s love will soon flood your soul, dispelling clouds of fear and doubt.

“There came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to and yield to and obey Him!”

Luke 9:35

Setting out from England in 1853, Hudson Taylor was the pioneer missionary to China. His fifty-one years of service, and the 800 missionaries who joined the society he formed, resulted in 18,000 conversions. Taylor’s standard of godliness and excellence is a model in modern-day missions.

From his salvation at age 19, Taylor strove fervently to live a godly life. Yet for all his striving, he often experienced defeat and frustration. He wrote letters to his mother begging for prayer in his ongoing struggle with sin. After 15 years on the mission field, Taylor’s life and ministry changed radically when he learned of the pinnacle provision of God’s grace: the opportunity to live an exchanged life.

Scripture explains the exchanged life:

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).

The experience of Hudson Taylor is familiar to many Christians. Seeing the righteous and holy standards of God, we put forth our best effort to attain godliness. In doing so, we experience frustrating cycles of defeat. Our human nature is frail. Our power to change ourselves is gravely limited. Like Taylor, we need to understand the exchanged life: we no longer live. Jesus Christ lives in us. He lives through us as we submit to Him.

In the exchanged life, our hope and trust lie in what Christ has done and will impart to us, not what we can provide and do for ourselves. How do we live such a life? According to Galatians 2:20, we live it by faith. We believe that whatever our need, God will provide. We place our hope and trust in His endless supply. In living the exchanged life, we see the open channel between the Vine of Jesus and our great neediness as a branch. We see it, ask for it and expect to receive all we need through it.

“This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.”

1 John 4:9

“Seeing is believing” is an old saying that suggests concrete or material evidence is the only basis for faith in a given object. This phrase is commonly applied in many different circumstances, scientifically and relationally. It involves the quest for substantive proof of truth. For instance, the pronouncement of “I love you” is often met with the rebuff of “prove it to me.” Tangible evidence is sought to validate proclaimed facts.

Many Christ-followers mistakenly apply this phrase to their spiritual lives. God-pleasing faith is believing and seeing the fulfillment of His spoken promises as a present reality. Instead of searching for visible signs and wonders, we are to use our eyes to search and study the Word of God. We are to see God as He truly is, experiencing for ourselves His love and integrity. We are to hold fast to what He promises to do for those who believe and obey Him despite visible evidence to the contrary. Believing God results in seeing His power in action. Moses persevered in leading the rebellious nation of Israel because he “saw Him who was invisible” (Hebrews 11:27).

Are you like the Israelites who believed God’s promises and sang His praises, but then quickly forgot what He had done for them? They, like us, often lived with the bitter consequences of disobedience. Why? Their faith was dependent on visible circumstances, despite God’s continuous and mighty workings on their behalf.

Do you put God to the test by giving in to faithless cravings and fears when you cannot see the way ahead? Come to Jesus. Confess your sin of unbelief. Acknowledge your desperate neediness for His guidance. Stop striving according to your foolish “wisdom.” Put your trust and obedience in His eternal Word and Spirit. He will intervene in the most challenging of circumstances as you cling tenaciously to His Words.Your faith will become sight, just as He promised. Believe and you will see.

 “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed…Because of your faith, it will happen.”

John 20:29; Matthew 9:28