Taking God at His Word

I recently started acupuncture. A friend of mine actually recommended it to me and told me how much it helped her, but I was hesitant to go. I wasn’t sure how I felt about having needles inserted into my skin and leaving them there for an hour-long session. It’s funny really, because I’m poked with needles on a pretty consistent basis, due to my health, but this was new. Anyhow, I finally gave in and made an appointment. All I can say, is I wish I would have taken her word for it a long time ago. It has worked wonders for me.

Can you remember a time when you wish you would’ve taken someone’s word from the beginning?

I’m not exactly sure how acupuncture works. I’ve asked questions and read up on it some, but I’ve pretty much taken the attitude that it works and have left it at that. When I think about it, that’s what I’ve done with all the information about my disease and treatments. Being that I’m no professional, I leave the hard part to my doctors, follow their orders and trust they know what’s best. Of course, with really serious issues I tend to do my own research as well, after all, it’s my health and well-being.

Thinking about this one day got me to realize that sometimes I’m better at following my doctors’ orders, then I am at following God’s orders. I will take what my doctors tell me, believe it, and I trust that they have the ability and knowledge to know how best to treat me. When our doctor says to take medication, do we question him? Maybe, but ultimately, we take the medicine, fully trusting in its ability to either cure us or make us feel better.

Shouldn’t we be just as quick to take God at His word?

How many times have you gone through a situation where the outcome was nowhere near what you imagined it would be? Or later on down the road you realized why things happened the way they did. We would save ourselves from a lot of stress and worry if we took His word to heart from the beginning. Easier said than done, right?

I have a hard time with this. Even though I trust God will work things out according to his will in the end, it’s all the in-between details that I fret about, I think a lot of us do. Just like taking that medicine our physician gives us, it may make us feel better in the end, but it isn’t so great going down. I’ve had many instances where I knew God was working things out, but the process wasn’t particularly fun. But when it was all said and done, I was better and even stronger for having gone through it.

All too often, we know what God’s word says, but we set it aside and ignore it. He says not to worry, yet we can’t sleep at night because we’re riddled with anxiety. He says not to be afraid, yet we live in fear. He says to love our enemies, but instead we gossip about them. He says to go out into all nations sharing the gospel, but instead our time is spent sharing memes on social media. He says we are fearfully and wonderfully made, yet we are so insecure. He says to trust Him, yet we try to manipulate every outcome of our lives. He says to be set apart, yet we’re so busy trying to fit in. He says to love one another, and yet our world is so full of hate.

 Warning Labels

There is a heavy influence in our world today that tells us to do what we want, even if it’s detrimental to our health. And many times, we will ignore the warning labels in pursuit of what feels good. God’s word has a lot of warning labels in it that can be attached to many situations and we’re given the choice of whether or not to read them. But just like any medical issue, when we choose to ignore God’s warnings, the symptoms become worse and detrimental to our health, possibly even leading to death.

I want to take Christ at his word. I don’t want to come to the end of my life with regret for not reading the warning labels either. I want to whole-heartedly serve Him, trusting Him in every area of my life. In my marriage, as a parent, in my work, in the words I say, and the thoughts I think, I want to reflect Him. I fail daily, usually multiple times in one day. But the bible says that His mercies are new every morning. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” No doctor, no matter how good, can promise you that.

Here’s a few comparisons of physicians and The Great Physician:

Physicians study to gain knowledge…

God is omniscient. “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.” Psalm 147:4-5.

Physicians have to read up on our health history…

God knows everything about us before we are even born. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” Jeremiah 1:5; “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered” Matthew 10:30.

A heart physician knows how the heart functions…

God knows our hearts desires. “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4; “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:10.

Physicians can’t always guarantee their advise won’t harm us…

God gives us what’s best for us. “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 a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11; “Every good thing given, and every perfect gift is from above.” James 1:7.

Physicians charge an arm and a leg for their service…

God offers salvation free of charge. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

Physicians have no remedy for living forever…

God offers eternal life. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6; “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.