Have confidence, believe in Him

"The fig tree will not flourish, the vine will not produce anything, the fruit of the olive tree will fail, the fields will not give food, the sheep will lack grazing, and there will be no oxen in the stables, I will rejoice in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation : the Lord God is my strength." Habakkuk 3.17-19

The snake in "The Book of the Jungle" (Rudyard Kipling, 1894) taken by Walt Disney, needs to hypnotize the little Mowgli by singing to him : "Have confidence, believe in me", to be able to seize him without his knowledge. Are we sometimes like this little "man" facing the vagaries of life, incredulous, asleep, ready to fall into the hands of the enemy by naivety ?

On the wall of a concentration camp in a totalitarian country, this inscription was found :

"I believe in the sun, even if it does not shine.

I believe in love, even when I do not feel it.

I believe in God, even when he is silent."

What a fine testimony of the confidence which the author of these phrases resided ! While everything seemed lost, the believer did not revolt. He continued, following Jesus' example, to confide in "He who judges rightly" (1 Peter 2:23).

I believe in God, even when he is silent ...

Often, when we go through turbulence, we are inclined to complain and to doubt our God. Asaph, the author of Psalm 73, has also asked similar questions : "So the wicked are always happy, and increase their riches: therefore I have cleansed my heart in vain, and that I washed my hands in innocence." (Psalms 73: 12-13).

The apparent silence of God drove him to discouragement. But God did not leave him in doubt. He led him to rise : "When I reflected on this to enlighten myself, the difficulty was great in my eyes, until I penetrated into the sanctuaries of God [...]" (Psalms 73: 16-17).

Above all, he experienced this :

"God will always be the rock of my heart and my sharing ... For me, coming near to God is my good" (Psalms 73: 26-28).

Action for Today

Following the example of these men of faith, let us learn, even in difficulties, to live in the communion and peace of our Savior.

Jean-Louis Gaillard

Source (The Thought of the Day)