Today's McCheyne bible reading has this line in it from Isaiah 30:15 : "in quietness and in trust shall be your strength."

This made me think of the post from a couple of days ago where I quoted Unvield face saying "I have had so many times of frustration in my life, getting irritated that thigns were going wrong, that stuff broke, that I wasn't achieving things that I planned - and all along it was not Murphy's law but rather God's intention that things will always go this way. And if we read on in the passage, we see that it's God's intention that we have faith in the unseen future with patience."

This mornings sermon at jubilee was on fear. Fear and frustration have their root in the same source- concern that my way will not (fear) or has not (frustration) come to pass.

Ultimately what excuse do I have? I really should know better by now. After all these years, why is it still the hardest lesson to learn is still the first one "Trust in God and you will be saved". Saved from my fears, saved from my frustrations, saved from whatever the devil throws at me, saved from hurt, saved from pain, or rather saved whilst still in the midst of hurt and pain. Saved most of all from myself and my foolish notion that I should be in charge of the world.

What do I know what is best for me, my family, my friend, my work colleague. What can I achieve in this world struggling with all my own energy?

As I said a few days ago "faith is quite simply about a relationship of trust and love with God. Faith is about prizing God highly and trusting him to do you good and uphold the honor of his name."

When am I going to learn the quietness, rest and trust that IS true faith. When am I going to cease from my own labours so I can work all the more forcefully at "struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me." (Col 1:29) all the while at peace on the inside.

When am I going to learn that I can be in charge of my own responses and choose to be at peace even in the midst of the storm?

I am sure that struggle will be with me the rest of my life, but today I resolve with Gods help to trust him more fully from now on. Understanding that this struggle for real faith is what lies at the core of the successful Christian life is the key to grasping why I believe that even for the good of the believer we must NEVER stop preaching the gospel every week in church aimed both at the believer and unbeliever.