As Christians, if we rely on God and look to God in everything with a God-fearing heart, not only will our difficulties be resolved, but we will also yield twice the result with half the effort in doing things. Even more importantly, we’ll be able to see many wondrous deeds of God and have more faith in Him. But how should we practice relying on God and looking to God? Some time ago, I read some spiritual books and found the path to practice. Here, I’d like to share with you three principles of practice.
1. Have Absolute Confidence in God’s Omnipotence and Sovereignty Over All Things
It is recorded in the Bible, “Jehovah appeared to Abram, and said to him, I am the Almighty God” (Genesis 17:1). “My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: for as much as before him innocence was found in me; and also before you, O king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found on him, because he believed in his God” (Daniel 6:22-23). From these verses, we could see that God is almighty and that all things are in His hands. Only if we absolutely believe in God’s omnipotence and dominion are we able to truly depend on Him. Take Daniel for example. In danger, he believed that God is almighty, that He holds sovereignty over all things, including his own destiny and animals’ mind, and that without His permission disasters wouldn’t befall him. Because he truly relied on and looked to God, he received God’s protection and didn’t get hurt in the lions’ den. This tells us that if we want to truly depend on God in everything, we should first believe that God is almighty and omniscient. He is the One who created the universe and all things, dominates and controls all things; all things, be they the stars in the universe or the microorganisms, living or dead, are in God’s hands and shift and change according to His thoughts. With Him there is nothing that cannot be accomplished. Hence, when encountering some difficulties, as long as we truly depend on God and look to Him, He will resolve our problems and settle our concerns, and we will see that His power is everywhere, and that His deed is everywhere.
2. Honor God as Great in Heart and Only Rely on and Look to Him Without Worshiping Any Person
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, said Jehovah of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). “Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from Jehovah” (Jeremiah 17:5). In these two verses, God admonished us to have God’s place in our hearts and honor Him as great and never have a place for men or look to them. As we know, Saul, the first king of Israel, got scared and dared not fight when facing the Philistine giant, Goliath; he announced he would give his daughter to the man who killed Goliath, and enrich him with great riches. All this suggests that Saul did not have a place for God in heart, and that he didn’t believe God is almighty while man is powerless; in his eyes, Goliath was more powerful than God, so he thought it impossible that the small Israelites could defeat Goliath even if having the help of God. As a result, he chose to rely on man’s force and abilities rather than Jehovah’s power and failed to see His deeds or obtain His approval. By contrast, David had a place for God in heart and believed that God is almighty and that every person, no matter how giant he is, is in God’s hands. Having such faith, David could truly look to Jehovah of hosts. Finally, young and short as David was, he defeated Goliath with the help of God and saw God’s might. From this story, we can see that God is our support.
3. Have a Genuine Fellowship With God in Everything, and Rely on His Words to Stand Firm in Testimony
We should have a genuine fellowship with God in everything; especially, when trials befall us, we ought to constantly pray to Him and look to Him without planning for our own flesh or future, and never deny Him or leave Him; besides, we should put our heart in front of God to satisfy Him, and stand witness for Him. These are what a created being is supposed to do and also an aspect of practice in relying on God and looking to God. When Job was deprived of his children and property, he spoke cautiously lest he offend God, and prayed to Him to seek His will. Afterward, he understood God’s will and then prostrated himself before Him to pray submissively, saying, “Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:21). From Job’s experience, we can see that it is important for us to come before God and pray as soon as the trial comes. In this way, we will receive His guidance and know His will, and thus could stand witness for Him. Otherwise, if we merely live in agony, considering our own interests, or rely on our abilities to analyze and examine rather than pray to God and rely on Him, or look to Him just to ask Him to satisfy us, then God will not work and we will fail in trials and become Satan’s laughingstock.
As long as we act according to these three principles above, we will know how to truly rely on God and look to God, and He will lead us to experience His omnipotence and sovereignty in real life. In this way, we will have knowledge of His deeds and produce genuine faith in Him. Thank God! All glory be to Almighty God.
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