Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 11: 6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Hudson Taylor was a missionary in China. He was the founder of the Inland Mission Church, which included 205 mission stations with over 800 missionaries and 125,000 Chinese Christians.
At age 18 he had become a wayward son. His mother decided to deploy her faith in the direction of the son’s salvation. One day Hudson found himself in his father’s library where he saw a Christian tract. He read it and was hooked. The Spirit of God arrested him and he fell down on his knees and accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Hudson later shared the testimony of his salvation with his mother, who had been away. She replied, “I already know. Ten days ago, the very date on which you told me you read that tract, I spent the entire afternoon in prayer for you until the Lord assured me that my wayward son had been brought into the fold.”
Hudson’s mother was a woman of faith. Though she had not seen the physical evidence of her prayer for the salvation of the soul of her son, she already believed. She so much believed that her prayer would be answered that when she got the testimony of the answered prayer, she was not surprised. She was only full of gratitude to God. The disposition of Hudson’s mother to prayer is in accordance with the scripture. Hebrews 11: 1-2 says: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.”
First, we must understand that without faith it is impossible to please God, as today’s scripture states. This implies that without faith it is impossible for our prayers to be acceptable to God. Faith embraces the Word of God as the only enduring reality. It embraces the reality of God’s promises even before it sees a physical manifestation. This was Abraham’s attitude. He did not consider the seeming impossibility of his situation, only the promise of God. This must also be our attitude when we pray. It was Oswald Chambers who said, “We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.”
I see faith rising in your heart today. I see your prayers of faith reaching up to heaven and God granting you answers. You will triumph in prayer, through faith, today and always, in Jesus’ name.
Memorise & Meditate:
“And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.’’ Roman 4:19-22
Prayer/Confession:
Father, I thank You for Your Word today. I refuse to pattern my life after my changing circumstances but after your unchanging Word. I declare to every contrary circumstance in my life today to align with the Will of God as revealed in His Word, in Jesus’ name.
