Without a Limp

“How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him;” 1 Kings 18:21

This was the question that Elijah asked of all the children of Israel who had been worshiping and crying out to the gods of Baal. They knew better just like we know better when we place our trust in things other than trusting God. I love the Hebrew translation for the word 'opinions.' It can literally be translated as crutch, which is used to support a weak leg. ‘The idea here is that the Israelite's found themselves limping between Baal and Yahweh.’ Trustworthy, Lysa TerKeurst, p. 101. I looked up the word for falter and its definition means to lose strength or momentum.

I cannot tell you the number of times in my life when I limped back and forth, between faith and fear. I would lean on God and surround myself with things that bolstered my faith such as worship music, prayer and Bible study. But as soon as I took my focus away from my ‘faith-weapons’ I would be filled with fear again. Any strength I had received from God would begin losing momentum, and my fear would beckon me to revisit it and I would limp over and lean on my fear of the unknown.

The fear of uncertainty offers nothing but a leg to lean on that wobbles. We are offered two opinions…do we really believe that God is God in our troubling circumstances? Or do we believe the things our fear threatens? If we choose to follow God in faith, we will follow Him through our messy chaotic circumstances continuing to have strength and momentum. But if we choose to continue to lean into fear, we will walk through our troubles with a ‘hobble and wobble faith’…a faith that does not produce anything lasting or of value. Even if we don’t confidently feel faith, there is a great reward in claiming God as capable, able and faithful. By affirming this truth, apart from our feelings, we are leaning on the Lord instead of limping towards fear. "We must remind ourselves of previous experiences of God's faithfulness. Then we can borrow from those times of certainty for today's uncertainty." Trustworthy, Lysa TerKeurst, p. 98. Our troubles offer the blessings of God’s comfort or the curses of our fear. Let’s choose life and run in faith instead of limping in fear.

‘Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you…may live!’ Deuteronomy 30:19