“Anxiety grows best in the soil of unbelief. It withers in contact with faith.”
~ Mike Reeves
Dear Grace Family,
Anxiety, fear, loss of control, discomfort, stress…as we progress in these weeks it is quite certain you have felt some of these in your life, especially recently. This is both understandable and is common to our experience in this world. In fact, remembering the disciples on the Sea of Galilee reminds us of this common response to times when we feel out of control. The disciples were in their boat during a fierce storm, bailing water from their boat, desperately trying to stay afloat. And Jesus slept. In their fear and desperation they woke Him up and said, “Save us, Lord. We are dying!” Jesus’ response was telling, comforting, and instructive for us today: ‘Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” (Matt. 8:23-26). He was with them, and yet they were afraid. He was near them, yet they were anxious. He was not going to let them drown, yet they feared for their life.
All of us have been challenged at the level of faith and unbelief. Where faith is small, problems are big. Where faith is growing, all the angst we feel has the proper lens to see through. The answer to all that we are feeling is NOT to blame the government, read more medical reports, or to vent on Facebook (or whatever platform you may be on). Government is not designed to save us, though they do function under the authority of God so we submit to them and do not resist (Rom. 13:1-2). News of the day can be informative but do not deliver answers, and complaining only serves to unsteady our hearts and moves us toward bitterness. What we all need is to grow our faith. And the source of that growth is by training ourselves to think rightly and act accordingly.
This last Sunday we started back in 1 Timothy, which we’ve been longing to do. We looked at how the church is God’s household and is the pillar and foundation of truth, all about Jesus and His work. We are going to continue on in our study and I’d encourage you to read 1Timothy 4:1-10 as we look at the antidote to false teaching and the Big Lie: we are trained in the words of faith, good doctrine, and godliness. Read with us as we prepare for next Sunday.
On Wednesday, we will do another Facebook live and will try to answer some questions that people are asking. If you have a question about anything, please email it to us and we’d love to try to address it Biblically.
Continue to pray with us as we seek to care for our family in this church and reach those who need Jesus. We believe our best days are ahead, and fruitful ministry is before us, but we must continue to walk by faith, not fear. God is absolutely in control of all things, and we can rest in Him, knowing that we serve a Lord whom the disciples marveled at: “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and seas obey him?” (Matt. 8:27). That Man is our Lord, Savior, and King!
In Him,
Pastor Jordan Bakker
Grace Church, Simi Valley