The Messenger

“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

Yesterday when my father-in-law arrived he was very heavy in spirits that his wife wasn’t coming to stay with him. Truth of the matter is she has taken extremely good care of him for 4 years in this dreaded disease of Alzheimer’s. Like many caregivers, she too, has declined and is no longer able to care for him in their home so we have made this temporary arrangement in hopes that he may avoid a facility a little while longer.

Bud felt like he was being punished and had done something wrong much like a child when their parents depart their presence for a period of time. Bruce assured him of the truth and the intent of his wife to come and be with him a great deal of the time. Bruce has had a wonderful relationship with his dad for 54 years and Bud knows that he can trust Bruce in everything he does for him. Bud may feel rejected but because of his complete trust in the messenger he can believe what Bruce is communicating apart from his emotions.

We can have this same belief in the character of God. We are told that He loves us unconditionally and He will never depart from our presence. The Holy Spirit is our messenger that brings truth to ever situation when our soul is hurting and our hearts are breaking. God sends His word through the messenger and because we trust the Spirit of God we can believe what He is telling us even if the horizon seems to reveal something different.

Like the relationship between Bruce and Bud, the closer we get to God through the Holy Spirit the more we can determine truth, character and faithfulness in navigating through our lives.