Christian Message Boards: I AM!

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Posted by Michael Harrison (Member # 6801) on :

It is a very precious truth, on the one hand, that if we ask God, in the name of the Lord Jesus, to do certain things, He will do them. He has pledged His word to us for this, and He is the truth: He keeps His word. But there are certain circumstances in which it is even more valuable for us to know, not that He will do a certain thing if we ask Him, but that He is doing it anyway, and therefore we do not even need to ask Him. God’s promise to do, upon our request, is one rich part of our Christian life; but there is a sense in which certain facts that God declares are so, whether we ask or not, make an even richer part of our life.

At a series of meetings on the Victorious Life, held in Toronto, the speaker told of the way of deliverance from certain temptations that come like a ﬂash of lightning in their instantaneous unexpectedness, when there is not time to pray or ask the Lord for deliverance. At such times our safety lies, not in a prayer for deliverance, for there is not time for that, but rather in the fact that Christ is delivering us without our asking Him; and in such an instant, as always, we are to thank our Lord for deliverance, not ask Him for it. For the Lord does not say to us, “My grace will be sufﬁcient for thee whenever thou askest for it.” He says, “My grace is sufﬁcient for thee.” That wonderful word is not a promise: it is a statement of fact.

That little two-letter verb “is” in our Lord’s wonderful word to Paul and through him to every member of the body of Christ, “My grace is sufﬁcient for thee,” is a veritable rock of ages. The writer of this editorial, ﬁnding marvelous strength and safety and deliverance in it, was turning it over in his mind one day, and thinking of the sufﬁciency of Christ.

He was clinging to, or rather resting on, that word “IS”—and then he thought to himself: “But have I any right to make so prominent that meaningless little verb ‘is,’ and depend so much upon it, when it seems as though I ought to think rather of some more important word, like the name of Christ?”

Instantly there dashed into his mind what it seems must have been the reply of the Holy Spirit Himself: “But the verb ‘is’ is the same verb as that which God says is His own name, ‘I AM.’ And it that little word ‘is’ is part of the very name of God Himself, you need not fear to think a great deal of it and rest conﬁdently and wholly upon it.”

Excerpted paragraphs from "Victory in Christ," by Charles Trumbull

Posted by Found in Him (Member # 7596) on :

This child of God can testify that it indeed IS!
His strength IS made perfect in weakness! AMEN!

Posted by Eden (Member # 5728) on :

Michael Harrison wrote

quote:
But there are certain circumstances in which it is even more valuable for us to know, not that He will do a certain thing if we ask Him, but that He is doing it anyway, and therefore we do not even need to ask Him.

Yes, I agree with that. As Watchman Nee pointed out, once we realize that Jesus Himself is DOING THE LIVING inside of me, then there is a lot less reason to have to ASK GOD for anything, since God is DOING THE DOING, why bother Him while He is busy? [Big Grin]

You continued

quote:
God’s promise to do, upon our request, is one rich part of our Christian life; but there is a sense in which certain facts that God declares are so, whether we ask or not, make an even richer part of our life.

Exactly. "Always asking" can be a symptom of "lack of trust" in the Lord, and therefore when there is an increase in trust that the Lord can and will do everything, that trust is always accompanied by a reduction in asking.

Again, more like a child, children ask stuff from their parents, but more often than not children are quietly trusting in their parents.

love, Eden

Posted by Michael Harrison (Member # 6801) on :

From "Victory in Christ," by Charles Trumbull

And Prebendary Webb-Peploe said forty years later, as he told the incident, that he seemed to hear a voice saying to him: “You fool, how dare you ask God to make what is? Believe His word. Get up and trust Him, and you will ﬁnd it true at every point.”

He took God at His word, he believed the fact, and his life was revolutionized. He entered into such an experience of rest and peace, such trust in a sufﬁcient Saviour, as he never before had dreamed could be possible. Within a month the governess in the family said to Mrs. WebbPeploe, “The farmers are remarking how much changed the vicar is: he does not seem fretful any more, but seems to be quiet and gentle about everything.”

And from that day to this, now forty-ﬁve years later, many another has praised God that the life of this minister of the Gospel is a testimony to the sufﬁciency of the grace which God declares is a fact.

The secret of victory is not praying, but praising: not asking, but thanking. All eternity will not be long enough to ﬁnish praising and thanking our Lord Jesus Christ for the simple, glorious fact that His grace is sufﬁcient for us.

Posted by Eden (Member # 5728) on :

Charles Trumbull wrote, as posted by Michael Harrison

quote:
The secret of victory is not praying, but praising: not asking, but thanking.

Exactly. We pray less and praise Him more for what He is doing in us and for us, and instead of asking we thank Him for what He is doing in us and for us.

Eden

Posted by Michael Harrison (Member # 6801) on :

Because if we listen to ourselves pray, what we will hear usually is our asking God to do what HE already has, and to be who HE already is.

Posted by bluefrog (Member # 7448) on :

Isn't praying praising ? If it isn't me thinks me left something out.

That sounds like a word game to me.

Michael is right. When we pray we usually listen to ourselves asking for things in His will and for things He has done. But I don't wanna play bible lawyer here.

Don't hesitate to ask though. Do not be anxious about anything.

Posted by Eden (Member # 5728) on :

bluefrog wrote

quote:
Isn't praying praising ? If it isn't me thinks me left something out.

Praying is usually asking God for something. Praising is usually praising God for all He has done for us and is still doing.

At the "risk" of sounding like Michael Harrison (LOL), when we allow "Christ to be in us what we are not in ourselves", then there is a lot less need for praying and a lot more opportunity for praising.

But there is a place for prayer, for instance, praying God to do a miracle for a loved one.

love, Eden