Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
The old tale has been worn out with re-telling: a driver picks up a weary man walking by the roadside; he sits in back of the wagon but still keeps his burden on his back; he is told, "Lay your burden down!" but insists, "It was good enough of you to give me a ride, I don't want you to have to carry my burden too!"
Ridiculous! But "Oh what needless griefs we carry, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer!" Let's say a word for the soul who does carry the burden to God in prayer, but still finds its heaviness weighing on his soul. What has gone wrong? Is God is uncaring? Doesn't He hear prayer? Has He Forsaken us? No, that can't be, if God and heaven and the Bible and a Savior are true.
The problem is that old specter, u-n-b-e-l-i-e-f. "He that cometh to God must believe (a) that He is, and (b) that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6). When Jesus tells us, "If anyone will come after Me, let him … take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23), He is not talking about nails in your hands and feet. He is talking about how you must go through that darkness of Calvary when He cried out, "My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?!" and still choose to b-e-l-i-e-v-e that He has not forsaken you! You will never be happy in heaven unless you have in that sense taken up your cross and followed Him. God cannot excuse anyone from that.
What Jesus says is true: "If any man (or woman) will follow Me ... ," you must do it; you must learn to b-e-l-i-e-v-e. No, you don't have to walk on water or raise the dead, but you must learn to believe that "He is," and that He "rewards" anyone who will take the place of the repentant thief by the side of Jesus and be "crucified with Him," believing that He "receiveth sinners" like you (Luke 15:2), "forgiveth all thine iniquities, ... healeth all thy diseases, ... redeemeth thy life from destruction." Yes, go on, finish the declaration of faith, ... and that He "crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies" (Psalm 103:3, 4). It just won't be fair for the Lord to let you SEE all this now.
On Calvary, He couldn't see a thing but darkness. He had to choose to believe when there wasn't a ray of light. When at last you see Him face to face, then you can see everything you want to see; but for now, you and I must learn to see in the dark "by faith." There's no way to "know" Jesus except side by side with the repentant thief on the cross in the darkness, as he knew Him and believed Him. (Be careful you don't side with the other one.)
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 13, 1999.
Copyright © 2012 by "Dial Daily Bread."
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please forward these messages to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. The "Dial Daily Bread" Web site resides at: http://1888message.org/dailybread/
To subscribe send an e-mail message with "subscribe" in the body of the message to: dailybread@1888message.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
