HOME / PROCLAMATION! MAGAZINE / 2015 / FALL / THE LIFE EXAMINED WITH CAROLYN MACOMBER
Recently I received an email containing a music video by Steven Curtis Chapman called “Warrior”. It depicted scenes of believers contending in prayer, and I was deeply moved.
Why have I been so moved by this music? I think the answer is that prayer is a mystery to me. It is a mystery why God answers prayers the way He does. Sometimes He does not remove the pain, suffering, or circumstances a person is going through. And when one’s circumstances do not improve, it is easy to question the heart of God. I have.
In the song called “Warrior”, Steven writes, “Our weapons are trust, our weapons are hope.” In the midst of pain and suffering, trust in God is attacked. Our hope is tried, and we wonder about the heart of a loving God.
In Scripture we are told that God is faithful and we can trust Him. The Bible says, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord for ever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal” (Is. 26:3-4). We can find peace in our trials and suffering by trusting the motives and the heart of God. He loves you and He loves me (Jn. 3:16). David, who suffered much before becoming king, wrote, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; ... The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures for ever – do not abandon the works of your hands” (Ps. 138:7-8). I am to trust God’s heart and love for me in the midst of pain and suffering, and I can do that by listening to His word and communicating with Him in prayer.
The Lord promises in Isaiah, “He will swallow up death for ever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. In that day they will say, ‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation” (Is. 25:8-9).
“Trust” in Isaiah 25:8-9 comes from the Hebrew word qawa. In essence it means to bind together by twisting. Another way to look at trusting God in the above verses is to visualize being braided into Christ. A braided rope is not easily torn apart. To trust in God is to be braided into His love and life.
Have you allowed the Lord to braid every aspect of your life to Himself? Are you so entwined in the Lord that prayer is your first response in fighting the battles of your life? Do you trust the Lord? Will you trust His heart when life seems out of control? Steven Curtis’ song says, “Our weapons are trust, our weapons are hope, in the One”. The Lord desires to be braided into your life so tightly that peace will reign in the midst of chaos. What can you do to continue to trust Him in the hard times?
As I think about the song “Warrior” and about fighting my battles with prayer, I am convicted by Romans 12:12: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” I desire to make the time and give the energy needed to fight on my knees. I know I have seen victories when I have done so. Peace returns as I submit my heart to the heart of the One whose love endures forever.
Will you fight with me? The battle rages fiercely. Families and relationships are damaged, and the “destroyer” destroys. The accuser accuses, the serpent deceives, the liar lies, and the lion roars, but he knows his time is short. He has been defeated at the cross (Col. 2:14) so I do not need to live in defeat. Please, fight with me. Our nation’s leaders need it. All people need it. Fight with me. †
The Former Adventist Fellowship Fall Conference in Michigan organized by Carolyn Macomber has been cancelled for this year. Our church host, The Chapel, will be near the end of a large building project at that time. You are invited to attend our Winter Conference in Southern California this coming February. See the details on page 31 in this issue.
Copyright 2015 Life Assurance Ministries, Inc., Camp Verde, Arizona, USA. All rights reserved. Revised November 10, 2015. Contact email: proclamation@gmail.com
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VOLUME 16, ISSUE 3
Carolyn Macomber was a doctoral student at Andrews University when she discovered inconsistencies between Adventism and the Bible. She withdrew her membership from the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 2009. She is a marriage and family counselor and is the contact person for former Adventists at The Chapel Evangelical Free Church in St. Joseph, Michigan.
D E P A R T M E N T S
The life EXAMINED with
Carolyn Macomber
