When There’s Nothing Left

God will work. That’s one of the greatest encouragements to the believer, no matter what happens, no matter what people do, God will work. More specifically God wills and works. God has a plan and he will do his work. Sadly, too often people refuse to participate in that work, they refuse to live in faith, until there is nothing left. How often did God have to bring the people of Israel to the brink before they would follow him in faith?

Reading the Old Testament it is easy for us to scoff at the Israelites, I mean how could they miss the power of God? How could they miss that he has a plan? It was right there in front of them. And yet, today’s church often has to be brought to the brink or begun from scratch before it will join in the work of the Father. Hundreds…thousands of churches across the US are changing lives and reaching people in their communities and around the world. God IS working. And yet even greater numbers of churches are closing their doors and the only blame given is the state of America.

It is not the secularization of America that is killing the church, I would say if anything it is killing false religion. The church is exploding in many of the nations where it is completely outlawed or at least very dangerous to believe in Christ. The early church was constantly under pressure from local and regional pressures as well as the Roman government, but that did not stop it’s growth.

This applies to us as individuals as well as to the church. People often have to be stripped of everything they hope in before they will follow God in faith. Rather than tear those things out of their own heart, they wait until God acts. It is sad that so many seats in the church are filled with lukewarm faith, because honestly, they have other things in which to hope. It takes cancers, family tragedies, job loss, some sort of deprivation, etc… before people become on fire for God.

There is a solution…dive into God’s word. Through prayer and accountability strip away your idols. Each day step out in faith and rather than waiting for God to drastically tear everything else away, make it so there is nothing else. Challenging I know.