WONDERFUL THING IN THIS PASSAGE – I don’t know about you, but I need all the help I can get living a life of faith. I frequently join the man who cried out to Jesus, “I do believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). And God is more than willing to grant that request.
The Bible was written to tell us what to believe and to help us believe it. John explained that in writing his gospel: “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31) – These are written so that you may believe.
We discover humanity’s desperate need for a savior in the Old Testament, and we are amazed by the Savior God provided in the New Testament. We read the detailed prophecies of the coming Messiah in the Old Testament and see Jesus fulfill them all in the New.
Throughout the Scriptures, we’re introduced to individuals who needed God in the same ways you and I do, and we read how he stepped into their lives to help. And we are encouraged to trust him as they did.
That is the powerful testimony of the Word of God.
There is another equally powerful testimony from God. It starts with the faith produced in us by his Word, and it fortifies that faith to meet the challenges of life. This testimony originates not from outside us but from inside:
“The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself” (1 John 5:10).
The 12 disciples knew the Word of God and had seen the works of God, but Jesus knew they’d need even more than that in order to last long in the life of faith. So, as he prepared to return to heaven, he made them a parting promise: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth … he remains with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17).
WONDERFUL THING IN OUR LIVES – God has given each of us the twin testimonies of his Word and his Spirit. He speaks to us through both. We hold one in our hands, and the other holds us from within our hearts. If we truly want to progress in the life of faith, we must neglect neither.
They work together. Each time I open the written Word, I ask its Author to reveal its meaning. Thus, my frequent prayer from Psalm 119:18: “Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from Your Law.” I depend on his inward revelation through my careful outward study.
And each time I listen to his inward voice, I compare it to and amplify it by his Word. This duet of the Word of God and the Spirit of God is truly music from heaven. I highly recommend a lifetime of it.
