Slow of Heart

“He said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” Luke 24:25.

I must admit that I have been blessed with the most amazing set of parents. Even today, I can be assured that whatever my mother tells me I can believe. Even if she tells me something that seems incredible my belief is not grounded in the circumstances but in her trustworthiness. My belief in her words is a result of time spent with her getting to know her thoughts on every issue. The more situations that we have shared the more confidence I have in her. In the spirit of our verse you can say that I am quick of heart to believe all that she has told me.

Our Father has given us 66 books in His word that gives us His thoughts on everything we will ever face. Each chapter is delicately wrapped with different traits of His character to give us clarity on His beliefs, what He promises and who He is. How can we build confidence in Him if we do not dig out the truths in His words? Our flesh is foolish as it always bends towards disbelief and doubt. When we are slow of heart to believe our remedy is to mine the beautiful gems of the Bible. Without these gems our heart will tell us to fear...to doubt...to cast our imaginations on the worst possible scenario. Our unbelieving hearts will convince us that our prodigal will never return. Our unbelieving hearts will paint a picture that we can never live without our loved ones. Our unbelieving hearts will keep us so imprisoned in our self-made boxes that we won’t even recognize when God is trying to do something new.

Sometimes our prayers need to be more about our faith than our desires for a situation to go in a certain direction. I should have been praying for an increased faith to walk it out than for a specific outcome. Some of the scariest and unbelieving times in my life have been when God was trying to do something new. Many times God answers our prayers in ways we don’t recognize. When the Israelites were being delivered from Egypt to the Promised Land God took them the long way around the wilderness. Sometimes our desires and God’s plan do match up but the journey there might wind us through the desert. His guidance in the wilderness comes through His guidance through His Word. We must lay down our slow to believe attitudes and pick up our quick to believe God.

“Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” John 20:29.