“NO Plan B”
I recently read an article from OMS Outreach, entitled NO Plan B. After reading this article, I had to ask myself, “Am I radically dependent on God, or do I have a plan B? Is there unbelief mixed in with my faith?” In Isaiah 31:1, God calls the sin of unbelief “going back to Egypt”: “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!” Consider also Hebrews 3:12: “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.” If I have unbelief, I am moving away from God and what He has for my life. If we are in the sin of unbelief, how can we move away from that sin and move towards God? I am certain there are many more ways, but here is what I have learned.
1. Our hope in the Word of God. Robert Morgan makes this statement in his book The Promise: “Sooner or later, even the upbeat soul gets beat up by life.” He further states, “We need a higher power, a deeper strength, a wider mercy, and a mightier word. We need a promise so broad in its scope that nothing is excluded, and so infallible in its application that on its word alone, we are consoled, energized, vitalized, and innervated during life’s toughest moments.” We have that higher power–it is God. We have promises that are infallible–it is Scripture. Psalm 119:160 says, “The entirety of Your word is truth.” If God’s word is truth, then it is infallible. Since it is infallible, then all of God’s promises are true. So we do have hope in God’s word. We can believe, even if God doesn’t show up or answer in the way we want or expect.
2. Trusting in God’s faithfulness. There are at least 21 Scripture verses that declare the faithfulness of God. “Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds” (Psalm 36:5). Psalm 37:3 says, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” How do I feed on God’s faithfulness? By meditating on the truth of God’s word. When I do that, then it makes sense that I will trust God in all things.
During the times when life beats us up–the tough times of loss, grief, pain, doubt, despair, or confusion–when these times come upon us, we remember that the Word of God is true, and that the God of the Word is faithful, giving complete and ultimate healing to our souls. “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles” (Psalm 34:17). “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith…Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:22-23). “For Jesus Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
God is our Plan. We do not need a plan B. God is our Pilot. We do not need a co-pilot. God is all we need. Why? Because his Word is true, his Promises are true, and he is faithful.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). How does this rest come about? Through belief. As someone recently said, “God makes beautiful messes.” We can believe that God is working for our good.
“For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth. By You I have been upheld from birth” (Psalm 71:5-6).
