Faith Rest in Action
Did you have an opportunity to practice Faith Rest this past week? Did God present you with an opportunity where you needed to trust Him? Our greatest opportunities for spiritual growth come when we are forced to rely on God’s wisdom and power instead of our own. This week I promised to give you examples of Faith Rest in Action, and boy did God ever come through with an example to share with you!
A few of you are aware that we recently went through an invasion of Mormon crickets. Google them if you’ve never heard of them or how they got their name. The first time I heard of them was years ago from my mom. She showed me pictures of a town in Nevada, called Winnemucca that was being invaded by hundreds of thousands of the three inch pests that wipe out crops, not to mention cover your house so thick you can’t go outside. Yeah, they’re that bad.
I remember thinking if I lived in a place like that, I would have to move. Well, last year we had a small invasion on our road but only a handful ventured into our yard. We didn’t have it as bad as Winnemucca where they would get so thick, cars spun out on the roads from the sludge left by the mass of insects being run over.Yes, that many!
This year we were not as lucky. When I heard they were coming up our hill in huge numbers, I kinda freaked out and then I prayed. We learned of a special bait and as I ran to town to buy two 40 pound bags, my neighbor called and told me to hurry as they were at his driveway. When I got home my husband met me at the car and said they were all over the back of our property. We both grabbed a bag of bait and began throwing the bait everywhere…stomping on the little suckers along the way. Immediately they began to die from the bait (and stomping) and by the time the swarm passed through three days later, our yard looked like a war zone littered with thousands of dead crickets…we won!
How does this relate to Faith Rest?
When it was over, we realized we never lost a single plant! But the biggest victory for me was overcoming my fear of them, and the worry that they would destroy our landscape and garden. When faced with the challenge, God provided the means (bait) and the money to purchase the bait. He also gave me the courage to stomp them. Trust me, if you saw them, you’d know how courageous that was.
By allowing this experience, God gave me the opportunity to grow and become stronger. He didn’t place an invisible barrier around our property to save us, but gave us the means and strength to fight the battle and be free of fear. I love that I no longe fear them. If they come again, I’m ready.
Deuteronomy 31:8 says…The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
What’s invading your life that causes you stress? What is God using to stretch your faith? God’s grace has already made a way through for you.
Faith Rest is resting on the promises God gave us in His Word. But in order to rest on those promises we must know them. It’s through our trials that we have opportunities to use those promises and in turn grow spiritually as we learn to trust our loving God.
