The best way of looking up to Jesus is to commit God’s promises to memory. Don’t tell God that you have a big problem, tell your problem that you have a big God
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Joni Eareckson Tada is celebrating her milestone 75th birthday on October 15, and you can help honor Joni in a special way.
Thank you for celebrating with Joni!
SHAUNA: Hi, I’m Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada Sharing Hope. And today, Joni sings an old hymn that I think you might recognize. If you do, I hope you’ll sing along.
(Joni sings:)
My faith looks up to thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary
Savior Divine.
Now hear me while I pray
Take all my guilt away
O, let me from this day Be wholly Thine.
JONI: You know, when I get discouraged, when I start feeling blue, I start singing this beautiful hymn, because I know I'm only going to be saved up out of depression by his wonderful words of life. My faith cannot look down; if anything, looking down destroys faith. No, rather, our faith must look up; look up to Thee, up to God. Because I don't know if you are like me, but I know that when I feel afraid or fearful of the future, when I'm discouraged and problems overwhelm, I always imagine the worst-case scenario. It’s all about the worst possible things that could happen. You know, that’s what you get when your faith turns inward, when you start looking down rather than up. Now you and I have got to fight to not look down but look up.
I've got to jerk my thoughts upright and remember that my loving Father holds me in his hands. I've got to choose to trust that God is bigger, smarter, and more compassionate and more loving than I could possibly imagine. I've also got to resist the temptation to make an idol of the problem, it is so easy to get so focused on my problem that I talk about it endlessly instead of praying about it and focusing on God's ability to handle it.It’s why in my art studio I’ve got this little plaque on the shelf that reads, “Don’t tell God that you have a big problem, tell your problem that you have a big God.” Don’t you love that? Tell your problem that you have a God who is compassionate and generous and faithful!
And the best way to focus on God's faithfulness is to recite—and recite over and over again—his wonderful words of life: his promises. It’s the best way of looking up, of keeping your faith looking up to Jesus. Believe me, this is the only way: recite God promises to your peevish soul with it’s sour disposition. Recite the promises you know well, like “the Lord your God is with you; he is mighty to save” as it says in Zephaniah. Where does your help come from? It comes from the Lord like it says in Psalm 121. God is always with me, he holds me by his right hand, and I'm assured of that in Psalm 73. The Lord is with me, and I will not be afraid it tells me again in Psalm 118. The Lord goes before you and he’ll never leave you or forsake you, so do not be discouraged, it says in Deuteronomy 31.
It’s promises like these I recite time and again when I'm feeling fearful or when problems overwhelm. So please, if you haven’t already, start memorizing Scripture. There are plenty of music CDs where the melody is set to Scripture, and it is so easy to learn that way. Commit God's promises to memory. And remember. God is bigger, smarter, and a lot more loving than you can possibly imagine, and if you need to be convinced of that, sing this hymn, “My Faith Looks Up to Thee.” And then open up your Bible and turn to his promises. Come to our website at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends