Faith – Part 3 — A ‘Time With God’ Audio Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning,

I want you to think for just a moment back to when you were a little child. I remember when I was little walking with my mom and dad and reaching up, that’s how little I was reaching up to grab my dad’s hand and hold his hand as we walked, and that memory of holding my dad’s big strong hand is a great memory as it has great feelings attached to it.

And I think now of myself as a dad, and when my kids were little, how there would be moments when, of course, out of love you just reach your hand out and they’d put their hand in yours, and there’d be that beautiful experience. Of course, sometimes they’re wanting their independence and they don’t want to hold your hand, they want to be running around you. But whenever there’s something that would make our kids nervous or fearful, instantly like a magnet they’d be right next to me putting their hand in mine or if we’re crossing a busy street, they grab my hand. It’s because in their little heart and mind they trust me. I’m the big strong daddy, and they know that if they hold my hand they’re in a safe place, and I’ll take care of them and make sure nothing bad happens to them.

Well, I want you to just think for a minute about your relationship with God like that. Let me read you a few verses out of Colossians chapter 2 in the New Testament of the Bible as we listen to God’s perspective on this topic of faith that we’re looking at this week.

It says – therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith just as you were taught abounding in thanksgiving.

Isn’t it interesting? The Bible quite often describes the Christian life as walking with God. So just picture it that way, you living your life, you’re going through each day. It’s like you’re walking alongside of God, big, strong God that the Bible describes as our dad. And the Bible says we need to relate to God like a little child relates to his or her parents. Well, here it is then. You’re walking beside God. You need to learn to reach up and put your hand in His, knowing that he is the big strong daddy who loves you and cares for you, that your hand in his puts you in a safe place, a place that is guarded by God.

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The Bible talks about us not walking by sight but by faith. That means that as we walk we’re constantly trusting God with our lives and our situation. We’re reaching up to His big strong hand and putting our hand in his and instantly finding that place of security. Yes, God loves you. Do you know that the road God takes you on is sometimes not a smooth road or an easy road? No. That’s not the way the Christian life is, is it?

We’re in the middle of this fallen, broken world just like everybody else is. If anybody tells you the Christian life will make your life easy and comfortable, just happy all the time. Well, they’re just pumping sunshine because that’s not the way it is. The Christian life, like any life, is full of all of the griefs and sorrows and pains of life, but there is a massive difference in it. There is the big strong hand of God for us to grab hold of. We know we are not alone as we face those issues of life, that there is one who is with us, who is for us, who is over all those circumstances, and that we can trust with our souls, with our lives, and with His plan for us. There is hope in walking with God and trusting Him.

What do you need to trust God with today? How do you need to grab his hand?

I’m John North.