“So we see that they were not able to enter [into His rest—the promised land] because of unbelief and an unwillingness to trust in God.”
Hebrews 3:19
Amplified Bible Copyright © 2015
Our ability to trust God lies in our understanding and personal revelation of who God is. Jesus asked, “Have I been with you so long, and you still don’t know Me? He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)
Jesus, as the express image, the exact imprint, God made flesh, reveals the character and heart of our Heavenly Father. His work was not only to redeem us and restore us to our familial relationship with the Father, but also to reveal to us who our Father truly is.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:15 that every family in heaven and on earth derives its name and nature from God as Father. Our first experience in the new birth is marked by a heart that cries, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).
This new experience, as we journey through life, is continually challenged. It is Satan's primary purpose to steal, kill, and destroy every truth that would hold us securely connected to our Father's love.
As we grow spiritually, we must be attentive to any part of God's Word that has not yet penetrated our hearts and formed a viable belief system capable of overcoming doubts and fears. We live what we believe; everything else is mere rhetoric. Actions speak louder than words. The true test of what we believe is seen in how we live.
Israel, as a whole, did not enter the Promised Land because of their evil heart of unbelief (Hebrews 3). Unbelief is evil. It causes us to depart from the living God. And when we depart from the living God, we lose the enjoyment of the abundant life that flows from our relationship with Him.
Unbelief could be defined as: A state, condition, or general absence of faith or trust. Its nature may be a passive lack of awareness, a neutral absence of belief, or a settled disposition of the heart. The Greek word apistia carries the sense of faithlessness or lack of trust.
Disbelief, on the other hand, is defined as: An active, conscious refusal to believe something, or a reaction of shock when something defies our expectations. Its nature is seen in an action, decision, or mental rejection.
What we must pay close heed to is the unwillingness to trust God, particularly when it is shaped by past experiences.
Genesis 3:1 and Luke 4:4 show us the strategies of Satan: “Has God really said?” and “If You are the Son of God...” Both are framed around disrupting our confidence in the relationship we have with our Heavenly Father.
Proverbs 3 admonishes us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding. Psalm 37 reminds us to commit our ways to a loving and caring God.
Right believing will always lead us to a place of rest and peace. This does not mean that life will be void of trouble or pressure. We know the sea holds storms, relationships are challenged, and the world brings its pressures. BUT JESUS sleeps in the back of our boat, untroubled. When we challenge Him with, “Don't You care?” His response is, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 8:23–27).
May I encourage us all today to take time to allow our Father, who is in Heaven, to bring a fresh revelation of His faithful care for us.