
By Gavin Boyle
Matthew West explained why our faith needs to extend beyond our feelings and shared how we can continue to draw close to God even when we do not feel like doing so.
“When you’ve cried and you’ve cried ‘till your tears run dry; the answer won’t come, and you don’t know why. And you wonder if you can bow your head even one more time. Do it one more time,” West told Kirk Cameron. “Cause if you rely on your feelings. There’s going to be moments that come when your feelings tell you, ‘Prayer doesn’t work.’ Your feelings will tell you, ‘What’s the point?’ Your feelings tell you that, ‘There’s a ceiling up there and that’s as far as your prayers are gonna go, and they’re gonna bounce back down.’ But faith extends beyond those feelings, and turning into that act of obedience and I’m going to continue to pray.
“That is when our faith extends — we make a choice that our faith is going to extend beyond what we feel. And we are going to dare to believe that what the Bible says is true,” the Christian singer continued. “In James, it says, ‘If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.’ It doesn’t say He will immediately fix the thing. It just says that He’s going to be close to you. And what if our decision to pray is the decision to say, ‘You know what? God being close to me is enough. That’s what I need, and He’s gonna carry me through whatever it is I’m going through.’ In His own time, He will work all things for His good.”
While many Christians today focus on what God can do for them, our focus should instead be on how holy and wonderful He is. The blessings He rains upon us are secondary. Though God promises to walk through life with His followers, He does not promise their life will be easy. In fact, Jesus warned that His followers would be rejected by the world just as He was.
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you,” Jesus says in John 15:18-19.
While many Christians today miss this message, musicians like West are now focusing on the glory of God in their music, rather than praising the Lord for what He has done in their lives specifically.
“I love how so many of the Psalms, they’ve got this sense of reverence about them too, like, okay, I am pouring out my complaint and I’m going to tell you it just how it is. I’m not going to hold anything back, but I know who I’m coming before, like, I know who it is I’m standing before here,” explained fellow musician Matt Redman.
Related: Faith Over Feelings: Matthew West’s Reminder of Obedience in Prayer
“And I think sometimes some of our songs could do with a bit more of that too, not just me pouring out my heart but me following that up with why I’m pouring out my heart to you: because you are this and you are that and you’re the only one who can rescue me,” he continued.
As we face trials in our day to day lives, it is important to not let them get us down. Rather we should turn to the Lord amidst these difficulties to allow Him to be our shield and foundation.
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