Dennis Edwards
To go back to part 1
He Giveth More Grace - Annie Johnson Flint
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
Amos 8:11-13
"Behold, the days come, says the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord; and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. In that day the beautiful virgins and the young men will faint from thirst."
The youth are dying of thirst because they cannot find the true Word of the Lord. Even in many Christian fellowships God's true word may be buried in formality or hidden in entertainment, or lost altogether in false doctrine. (Read Ezekiel 34 to find out what has happened.) Find a fellowship where you get a good spiritual feeding and spiritual renewal, if possible.
Jesus said that in the last days, as we read above, men's hearts would be failing or fainting.
Luke 21:25-28
"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring: men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken....And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws nigh."
If you are fainting from all that you are seeing that is taking place in the world around you, then look up. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep the heavenly outlook, because our redemption is drawing near. The outlook may be horrible, but the up-look is great. Keep your eyes upward!
In the same Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells us what to do, if we begin to faint,
Luke 18:1
"And He spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.".
Jesus tells us, if we spend time in pray and communion with God, we will not faint or lose heart. But we may need to persist in prayer to get the blessing that we seek, as the parable teaches. The old widow was persistent in prayer.
In the Psalms we find the same motif.
Psalm 61:2: The psalmist cries out, "From the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint," or "From the end of the earth will I cry unto You, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock (that Rock is Jesus) that is higher than I."
Psalm 27:13-14
"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord and be of good comfort and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord."
The psalmist is reminding us to spend time with God to encourage ourselves with the heavenly vision. God will strengthen our hearts, if we spend time with Him!
Apostle Paul admonishes us to keep the heavenly vision, the vision of the eternal, which will help us not to faint.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
"For this reason, we faint not, but though the outward man perishes, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, (the problem we are going through), which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not see are eternal."
The "light affliction" we are going through is working in us an eternal reward we cannot even imagine. In Philippians, Paul gives us his classic formular for not fainting.
Philippians 4:4,6-8
"Rejoice in the Lord always; and again, I say, Rejoice. Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
Again, we see the weapon of praise and thanksgiving is vital. We need to remember to praise God in our affliction or discouragement. The spiritual battle is in our heart and mind. Elsewhere, Paul wrote, "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you," 1 Thessalonians 5:18. We, therefore, should start with praise and thanksgiving, and then take that problem or worry to God in desperate prayer. If we do that, God promises to send relief. Afterwards, our job remains to keep our minds focused on God and the eternal, to fight the good fight of faith by meditating on God's good word.
In the section that follows, we will see what David did when he was faced with a dire situation and his men were fainting in their minds because of it.
1 Samuel 30:1-6
"And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, (where they lived with their wives and children), that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; and had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
"So, David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep....And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, for his sons and his daughters: but David encouraged himself in his God."
Here we see what we should do when we are faced with something so distressing that it may easily cause us to faint, lose hope, and give up. We need to encourage ourselves in the Lord. We need to get a hold of God. David sought the Lord.
"And David inquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And the Lord answered him, Pursue: for you shall surely overtake them, and without fail recover all," verse 8.
Some of David's men became so faint or weakened through their emotional distress, they couldn't go any further. David allowed the faint to stay by the stuff and went off with the stronger smaller group. They recover all, just as the Lord had promised. Later the strong don't want to divide the spoil with those that were faint. David admonishes them that it was the Lord that gave them the victory and says that those that stayed by the stuff shall get an equal share in the reward.
"Then said David, You shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord has given us, who has preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand. .... But as his part that goes down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarries by the stuff: they shall part alike. And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day," verses 24-25.
1 Thessalonians 5:14:
"We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone."
The apostle Paul likewise gives a general instruction to the church: "admonish the disorderly; comfort the faint-hearted, sustain the weak, be patient toward all". When we see our brother or sister struggling, the Lord wants us to be tender-hearted and care for those that are fainting.
In conclusion, if you are fainting, it may be because you are not spending sufficient time with the Lord in prayer, in His word, in fellowship with other believers. Get alone with God. Pour out your heat to the Lord. He promises to send help, to send relief, to send answers to your prayers. God doesn't want us to faint and has provided ample provision so that we faint not.
In Deuteronomy we read,
Deuteronomy 31:6 & 9
"Be strong and of good courage (not faint-hearted), fear not, nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He it is that does go with you, He will not fail you, nor forsake you....And the Lord, He it is that does go before you; He will be with you, He will not fail you, neither forsake you: fear not, neither be dismayed (or faint)."
Let's not faint. Let's believe God's word. Stand on it, and faint not!
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