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October 15, 2011

Column: G. David Henderson: See the Sea to Learn “Faith in God”

Dalton Daily Citizen

“Man did eat angels’ food” (Psalms 78: 25).

As a pastor and counselor here in Dalton, I am always having to counsel people who are angry at God or themselves because of their inability to motivate God to answer their prayers.

Today’s devotional is about one of my counseling principles that have made my own prayers be successfully answered and that I teach others to also practice while they are waiting for the answers to their prayers.

Visualize clouds of dust and sand flying from the back of the sandals of David as he runs fast to find the footprints God made with his own feet in the sea. David, who at this time is the king of Israel, is trying to follow those footsteps to escape being killed by his enemies. When David begged God to show him how he would deliver David from his enemies, God told him the way he would deliver David can be seen in the sea.

As David’s enemies speedily approach to kill him, see David frantically running up and down the seashore repeatedly, trying to find God’s footprints in the sea for his escape. All of a sudden, David realizes that footprints can’t be made in water. David loses all faith and hope of being rescued from his enemies saying, “... Thy footsteps are not known,” (Psalms 77:19).

But Psalms 18:16-19 reveals God did deliver David from all his enemies.

You see, God never sent David to the sea to find the path made by God’s feet for David to escape from his enemies killing him. Footprints can’t be made in water. God sent David to the sea to teach him one of the most important principles of depending on God for answered prayer, and that lesson is: “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

God’s lesson to David at the seashore was that answered prayer is never determined by physical evidence, or the lack thereof (Hebrews 11: 1). Sometimes God will lead us to the answers of our prayers, by us not knowing where he is leading, as he did with Abraham to create the nation of Israel: “Abraham went out . . . not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11: 8). These lessons teach us to never depend on physical evidence, but rather keeping our faith endlessly toward God until our prayers are answered. Even when circumstances look and feel hopeless, continue hoping (Romans 4:18).

Physical evidence or the lack thereof is no sign whether God is answering our prayers. When God told senior adults Abraham (age 125) and Sarah (100) they would miraculously birth the nation of Israel, they looked at their impotent bodies as impossible to conceive children. The birth of the nation of Israel was delayed 25 years until the husband and wife finally believed God about their miracle to conceive Israel. Our doubts (Mark 11:23) and unbelief (Matthew 13:58) toward God’s promises definitely hinder, delay, or stop the answers to our prayers reaching us.



The Rev. G. David Henderson is the pastor of Temple of the Lord at 611 S. Green St., Dalton. You can reach him at angelsfood@optilink.us. His column appears on Saturday.

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