..."and a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the way of holiness; evil minded people shall not travel on it, but it shall be for those wayfarers who are traveling toward God. (Isaiah 35:8, adapted)



Thursday, November 08, 2007

Oswald Chambers: Though He Slay Me, Yet Will I Trust Him



We have the idea that God rewards us
for our faith, it may be so in
the initial stages; but we do not
earn anything by faith, faith
brings us into right relationship with
God and gives God His opportunity. God
has frequently to knock the bottom
board out of your experience if you are
a saint in order to get you into contact
with Himself. God wants you to understand
that it is a life of faith, not a life of
sentimental enjoyment of His blessings.
Your earlier life of faith was narrow and
intense, settled around a little sun-spot of
experience that had as much of sense as of
faith in it, full of light and sweetness;
then God withdrew His conscious blessings
in order to teach you to walk by faith. You
are worth far more to Him now than
you were in your days of conscious delight
and thrilling testimony.

Faith by its very nature must be tried,
and the real trial of faith is not that
we find it difficult to trust God, but
that God's character has to be cleared
in our own minds. Faith in its actual
working out has to go through spells of
unsyllabled isolation. Never confound the
trial of faith with the ordinary discipline
of life, much that we call the trial of
faith is the inevitable result of being alive.

Faith in the Bible is faith in God against
everything that contradicts Him - I will
remain true to God's character whatever
He may do. "Though He slay me, yet will I
trust Him" - this is the most sublime utterance
of faith in the whole of the Bible.
--Oswald Chambers

Photo taken in Colorado Springs, Colorado


9 comments:

Anonymous said...

that's a good word right there, thanks for posting that.

Anonymous said...

I thank God for directing me here. I needed that word, especially now.

Anonymous said...

I found this site after the Holy Spirit whispered Job's very words to me, following a difficult day, one of many in a 5 year long trial that leaves me & my husband frustrated, bewildered and hopeless. I can do nothing now but surrender my pitiful self into the arms of my Father to seek His comfort, healing and rest. Thanks for being there.

Anonymous said...

Words to inscribe into our hearts and minds.

Anonymous said...

Wow! I found this 'by accident' and we are going thru a terrible and confusing time right now. This was a breath of fresh air for me today. thanks.

The Pen of The Wayfarer said...

May the Lord guide you and teach you and imbue you with grace as you go through this difficult time!It just seems like its a hard season for so many! God bless!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting this, I have leaned on this verse so many times when I thought that my world was about to come crashing down, and today is no exception. I needed to read the commentary on the verse to understand why God seems so far away during these times, and yet, we know He is the only one who fully sees and understands all that is going on behind, around, and before us.

Anonymous said...

I too was led to this spot through the Holy Spirit's words to my heart--"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Hime." My husband and I too have been going through an extremely long period of relationship and family upheaval. I often think of Job's trials and wonder how long was his ordeal in comparison to my own. I know it was just long enough, but not too long, as sifted through the loving fingers of our gracious and merciful Father, to accomplish His will and plan. That is all my hope, too. Gaze up at the cross and know that He is God!!

Virtuous woman said...

Although I am being tested, God is faithful and his mercies are everlasting. He is my source, my only source. There is no other like him, and I do trust him.