Chapter 19—Faith in God
When at Battle Creek, Michigan, May 5, 1855, I saw that there
was a great lack of faith with the servants of God, as well as with the
church. They were too easily discouraged, too ready to doubt God, too
willing to believe that they had a hard lot and that God had forsaken
them. I saw that this was cruel. God so loved them as to give His
dearly beloved Son to die for them, and all heaven was interested in
their salvation; yet after all that had been done for them, it was hard
to believe and trust so kind and good a Father. He has said that He is
more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him, than earthly
parents are to give good gifts to their children. I saw that the servants
of God and the church were too easily discouraged. When they asked
their Father in heaven for things which they thought they needed, and
these did not immediately come, their faith wavered, their courage
fled, and a murmuring feeling took possession of them. This, I saw,
displeased God.
Every saint who comes to God with a true heart, and sends his
honest petitions to Him in faith, will have his prayers answered. Your
faith must not let go of the promises of God, if you do not see or feel
the immediate answer to your prayers. Be not afraid to trust God.
Rely upon His sure promise: “Ask, and ye shall receive.” God is too
wise to err, and too good to withhold any good thing from His saints
that walk uprightly. Man is erring, and although his petitions are sent
up from an honest heart, he does not always ask for the things that
are good for himself, or that will glorify God. When this is so, our
wise and good Father hears our prayers, and will answer, sometimes
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immediately; but He gives us the things that are for our best good and
His own glory. God gives us blessings; if we could look into His plan,
we would clearly see that He knows what is best for us and that our
prayers are answered. Nothing hurtful is given, but the blessing we
need, in the place of something we asked for that would not be good
for us, but to our hurt.
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