sethbartal.com

  • Bible Reading Plan
  • Free Fall Book
  • Recommended Reads
You are here: Home / Daily Devotional / The Foundation of Faith (Jeremiah 38-39, 42)

The Foundation of Faith (Jeremiah 38-39, 42)

January 28, 2014 By Seth Leave a Comment

So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard.  They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud. (Jeremiah 38:6)

So often what we believe about God is based on our life circumstances and how we feel.  What’s happening now and what I’m feeling now determine what I believe for now.  If it feels as though God is far away, then He must be.  If it feels as though God doesn’t exist, then He must not.  Emotions, in our culture, are given an elevated status as being trustworthy and believable, but we must be careful not to pay too close attention to them for they are deceptive.

Emotions are not based on fact – they’re based on our impressions of a situation or how we feel about it.  Emotions sway because feelings change.  Couples who go through a divorce experience a change of feeling – the love that they felt at one time no longer exists.

When we reduce our trust in God down to how we feel, we risk misunderstanding Him.

Jeremiah didn’t write off God because the circumstances he was experiencing felt bad.  His faith and trust in God weren’t built on circumstances; they were built on God’s character.  Jeremiah trusted that God was in control of his (Jeremiah’s) situation, so he faithfully did all that God asked him to do – regardless of the personal pain that he experienced as a result.

Is your faith in God so rock-solid that you can declare, “No storm can shake my inmost calm?”  Jeremiah is one example of many people of faith who trusted God in spite of what was going on around them and in spite of what they may have been feeling in the moment.

Emotions are real and it’s normal to experience them, but they shouldn’t be the basis for our faith because they often fail to tell the whole truth.

Father, there are moments in time when my emotions seem so real and so strong.  It’s easy to give in to them and to trust them, but to do so is foolishness.  Give me the ability to divorce myself from my emotion and to see situations for what they truly are.  Let me proclaim a fervent trust in You regardless of what’s going on around me.

January 28, 2014 8:10 pm Seth Leave a Comment

About Seth

Seth is a pastor, author, and speaker who lives in Batesville, Indiana. He is married to Kari, and they have two daughters, Madelyn and Noelle.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Seth is a pastor, author, and speaker who lives in Batesville, Indiana. He is married to Kari, and they have a daughter, Madelyn.

Read More…

Connect with Me

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Looking for something?

Latest Tweets

  • A good reminder why the church is so important https://t.co/25k8O9N9MM August 25, 2020 12:12 am
  • A great man went home today. My prayers are with the Zacharias family https://t.co/0qKQDkEs3n May 20, 2020 1:51 am
  • Follow Me on Twitter

Quick Find

adversity attributes of god bible blessing character choices courage direction encouragement eternity evangelism forgiveness glory gospel grace gratitude healing honesty hope humility jesus joseph journey joy leadership legacy love mistakes narcissism obedience parenting patience peace perseverance power prayer responsibility sin surrender temptation trust truth understanding wisdom worship

Archives

Categories

Links

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

© 2007–2021 Seth Bartal · Log in