Now you see only in part, then you shall see fully.
This is what comes to mind in that word today.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly,
I have an enquiring mind.
I long to know more, see more and understand more.
Meanwhile, with the things of God, I know that I most often see but a vague glimpse of a tiny part of the big picture.
But of course!
The God of the entire creation, of the entire universe – He has eyes to see everything, even little me. But I, though made in His image, see only through His Word and His Spirit in this brief moment of time that is the precious gift of my life.
What I see I see in faith and what I don’t see, I believe in faith. I trust the God of the unseen realities. I trust in His promises and trust in His love.
Hebrews 11:1
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
Of course I see only a part.
Of course I understand only a part.
What a privilege it is to be able to see even a part of the divine plan, to be a purposed part of His divine plan and part of His Kingdom.
One day, I shall see heaven and earth all as it truly is.
WOW!
I presume by then that my Spirit will be free enough to receive the revelation and marvel in the glory.
1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.
This is such a powerful audio – full of powerful truths about the power of grace and what we have been given to move the mountains and strongholds in our lives.
This is a word that I and others in my church have received for 2024.
The Lord has said He will ‘restore and more for ‘24’ and I am agreeing with that in faith – for myself, the church and for all of my loved ones.
For you too!
As I thought about this, looking forward, I was minded to also look back – because largely our actions and choices yesterday pave the way for our future.
One universal law is that of sowing and reaping – the seeds I sow today will bear fruit in the future, for good or for bad – each according to their kind, and with increase, of course.
Those who know me, know that I always write a public, monthly gratitude list for all of the acknowledged answered prayer during the previous month. Throughout the year, I have written out each of the specific answered prayers for each month.
But, as I wrote out my final lists of thanksgiving for November and December, I felt compelled to stand back in gratitude and survey the whole of 2023.
When we stand back, we sometimes see a more complete, bigger picture that looked incomplete from close up.
As I look at the year as a whole, I see the hand of God guiding the choices and paths I took during 2023, but also in the lives of those for whom I have been praying.
I really am blown away in gratitude to see how long-standing prayers for issues and situations are finally beginning to show good fruit. I see areas of real transformation becoming apparent over the course of the year.
This gives me great hope and excitement for this coming year too.
I will include here a few of the things that stood out as areas to rejoice over, to give all the glory to God, Who has proven that to honour and to trust Him is true wisdom.
I am so grateful for a year of emotional and spiritual healing, leading to real transformation in my heart, showing itself in good fruit in my life.
I am grateful and amazed at the successful merger of two churches who became one, and from which the Lord has birthed a new church.
I am grateful and fascinated how the Lord has brought me back home to the family home, has removed obstacles and has restored and healed many wounded areas.
I am grateful and excited about the growth in most other relationships and the opening up of opportunities for more transformation, the blessing of others, and for the Lord to be glorified.
I am so grateful to also see real answered prayer and blessings for other loved ones – physical and emotional healing and transformation, new homes, new jobs, breakthroughs, growth, restored hope, and so much more.
I am grateful because I can see the transformation that has happened in so many areas over the course of the year. It increases my faith and strengthens my courage to go forward as a blessing, not an apology.
I am excited!
I receive with faith that this year will see a continuation and escalation of good fruit and transformation in and amongst us, for the glory of God.
If He can do it in my life, don’t give up hope for yourself and those for whom you are praying.
The Lord can breathe life and resurrection into dry bones, if we invite Him.
May your 2024 ‘restore and more’ and may you receive all that your Heavenly Father longs to bless you with.
This week’s word captures something of the nature of recent ongoing processing for me, so I just looked up the Oxford dictionary definition. Two definitions of ‘impulse’ describe this processing question well:
noun
A sudden strong and unreflective urge or desire to act.
An impetus or inspiration that causes something to happen more quickly
My processing is thus: I want very much to hear God speaking to me and to act on the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
I do pray for guidance and the leading of the Holy Spirit and then of course I want to trust and act on what I believe I hear/sense/feel inspired and prompted to do.
For example I may feel inspired to send a message or gift to somebody, or to visit a neighbour, or pray for somebody – it comes to me as an impulse, an urge, a strong desire – but the thought comes impulsively, yet gently insisting… if I dismiss the thought, it will not go away until I respond.
Once I have responded, I often understand why it was good for me to do the thing inspired. Then I thank God for trusting me with the task and for teaching me to listen. Sometimes I see no ‘fruit’ from the thing I felt inspired to do.
To some this can look bizarre and like one is just acting on impulse.
Sometimes I also wonder if this is the case.
I want this to happen more often than it does. I want to attune myself to God’s voice, to make time to listen, not barge through my own agenda and tell God what I want of Him!
A few months ago, I was asking God to not just speak to me about big, important, life-changing choices, but to guide me along the more trivial choices throughout daily life. I was feeling a little frustrated that I struggled to hear what God’s will for my life was/is. I told God that I want to think His thoughts after Him and for my actions to glorify Him.
The Word says that “My sheep hear my voice”. I reminded Him that I am His sheep and therefore I can hear His voice.
One example I will share sounds rather silly and extremely trivial, but it is a good example of why I thought to share this for the word ‘Impulse’:
I said to God in one of our conversations: “For example, will you tell me what to do about my hair?” (I was always wondering whether to have my hair cut shorter, instead of the annual trim.) Later, I washed my hair and as I came to brush it, I could only get the brush through my hair as far as my shoulders – the rest was a tangle of knots – so I questioned the Lord: “Should I cut it here?” And before I had thought about it any-more, the scissors were in my hand, snipping away along the top of the mass of tangles! I was due to leave for work in 10 minutes and had no idea what I was doing, or how to apply the same process to the left side of my hair, but, after the momentary panic, I cut it round and went off to work. It felt very impulsive! But I like it. It works well for me.
the two tangles of hair I chopped off
Was it Holy Spirit inspiration or was it impulse?
Does it matter?
Steps of faith often seem impulsive.
I wonder what the disciples felt as they left their nets to follow Jesus?
Or how Peter felt as he stepped out of boat onto the water?
To follow and obey God, through the Holy Spirit, may not make a lot of earthly sense at the time, but He rewards our steps of faith. Little by little as we get used to His promptings, we learn to recognise His voice.
I want to think God’s thoughts after Him.
My sheep hear my voice.
I am a sheep of His pasture and I trust that I can hear His voice.
Sharing these reflections have made me feel rather vulnerable, but it is also a good example of the process I am describing: I felt prompted to share this processing, but now I am about to publish it, suddenly it feels impulsive and triggers doubt.
Does it not often seem that all the best things are coming soon?
Always in the future; tomorrow; not yet – soon.
There can be a danger whiling away our NOW whilst waiting for the the next thing; always being dissatisfied with now and with what we have; despising the familiar and living in the future, for what we don’t yet have…
‘Are we nearly there yet?’
‘How many sleeps until…?’ (one of my grand-daughter’s frequent questions)
But, on the other hand, the promise of the future and of good things to come also gives us hope. There is an excitement when we anticipate a promise and prepare, in our waiting, for the promised thing.
The hope and excitement is an expression of faith and brings purpose and motivation in our labours; it brings courage in trials, and brings joy to our hearts.
I think of ‘Kipper’ who couldn’t decide if he preferred Christmas Eve, with all the excitement, anticipation and purpose, or Christmas Day, when he could feast and open his presents and celebrate the long-awaited day.
He loved them both.
What about you? Do you prefer the anticipation, preparation and excitement of the waiting, or the arrival of the promise itself?
I guess it depends what it is that we wait for.
After His resurrection, Jesus promised His disciples that if they waited in Jerusalem for ‘a few days’, they would receive the promised Holy Spirit – Power from on high – that would enable them to do ‘even greater things’ than they had witnessed Jesus Himself do, because He was going back to the Father. 10 days later, they received that promised Holy Spirit and continued to receive fresh outpourings of the Holy Spirit and Power.
You and I are promised the same Holy Spirit today.
Do we expect to be filled afresh daily with the Holy Spirit and with Power from on high, as He promised?
Most of us, at some point in our walk with Jesus, hear and claim this Scripture as a promise for the answer to our prayers for a bright hope and future in Christ:
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jesus has also promised that He will come again – He will return in the same way that He left – in glory and splendour from the heavens.
Do we await that day with anticipation, preparation and excitement?
What difference does it make to how I live today?
What are you looking forward to?
Stop
Every Friday, I join an online Christian writing community, Five Minute Friday. We are given a one-word prompt and write – unscripted, unedited, pure free-write – for 5 minutes. The prompt this week is SOON.
I do read through my script afterwards to correct my mistakes; to check scripture references and to find an appropriate image to illustrate the topic.
‘If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.’
James 1:2-8
Hands up any of you that have sometimes doubted that you will receive what you are also believing for in faith.
Yes, me too!
Double-minded? Maybe.
Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Matthew 21:18-22
If Jesus is suggesting that we can never doubt, then we are all in trouble!
If faith pleases God, then what do we do with our doubt?
Let’s have a little look at Peter in the boat – or rather out of the boat!
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
Matthew 14:28-31
Peter spoke out in faith when he saw Jesus on the water;
he got out of the boat onto the water in faith in Jesus’ command to come;
and he actually walked on water!
The other disciples did none of that! Their brains thought ‘He’s a ghost!’ If Jesus or Peter had asked the others to walk on the water, they’d have laughed at the preposterous idea.
And so would I, probably, if I had been using my brain.
Did Jesus tell the others off for doing nothing? Or give up on Peter for doubting? Of course not. Look how powerfully Jesus continued to use all of His disciples during the rest of their lives.
Look how many times Peter messed up and was repeatedly forgiven and reinstated.
And He can continue to use every step of faith that we take.
Every Friday, I join an online Christian writing community, Five Minute Friday. We are given a one-word prompt and write – unscripted, unedited, pure free-write – for 5 minutes. The prompt this week is Doubt.
My five minutes are up, but I want to add a few more thoughts to this.
Like with Thomas and Peter, Jesus does not rebuke our doubts and questions, but patiently teaches us and rewards the faith that we do exercise.
We are asked to believe with our hearts, not our brains. Faith is not a logical, scientific step. It is a heart thing. If God asks you to do it, then He has equipped you and you can command the universe to comply with His request.
Faith is trust in Who God is, not in who I am or what our clever little brains can figure out. He does not even want us to be wise in our own proud eyes.
‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.’
(Proverbs 3:5-8)
Faith is trusting in Him who can.
And God can. I trust this with my heart, not my brain or logic.
But just like the father of the epileptic boy, who in desperation and faith brought his child to be healed by Jesus, to us and to him Jesus replies:
“Everything is possible for one who believes.”
And let us, like the boy’s father, reply to Jesus:
“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:21-24
All of us have moments when we feel a surge of great faith and other moments, as we step out in that faith, that we question those actions which may suddenly look rash.
Remember that our faith is in God, not in our own ability. It is often very appropriate to doubt our own capacity!
Confess your heart to God however it is, as David does in the Psalms.
Growth in faith is a process, like with all areas of maturity. God never gives us more than we can handle or expects more than our experience has allowed us to build in trust.
Jesus saved Peter from drowning, He healed the epileptic boy, He returned personally to show Thomas his wounds.
He understands and has mercy on us.
He knows where and how are trust has been wounded in the past and He cares.
Jesus meets our doubt with mercy and understanding and we are reminded in Jude’s letter to do the same to ourselves and to others.
‘Be merciful to those who doubt.’
Jude 22
Peter focuses on the storm and begins to sink (doubts)Doubting Thomas: “Unless I see…”
Don’t allow your questions and doubts to be misconstrued as ‘disbelief’.
To grow in faith we need to take one step at a time, knowing that Jesus loves our steps of faith and meets our questions with tender wisdom and mercy.
dawnfanshawe 
