Commit and Rest
True faith involves committing to God and trusting Him to work, leading to rest and the realization of blessings.
Charles E. Cowman emphasizes the concept of faith as the evidence of things not seen, illustrating how true faith involves letting go of our worries and uncertainties and fully trusting in God's promises. He highlights the importance of committing our concerns to God and allowing Him to work in our lives, as indicated in Psalm 37:5. Dr. Payson's advice on ceasing to be anxious after committing our burdens to God serves as a practical example of exercising faith and experiencing peace.
Text
"Faith is...the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1).
True faith drops its letter in the post office box, and lets it go. Distrust holds on to a corner of it, and wonders that the answer never comes. I have some letters in my desk that have been written for weeks, but there was some slight uncertainty about the address or the contents, so they are yet unmailed. They have not done either me or anybody else any good yet. They will never accomplish anything until I let them go out of my hands and trust them to the postman and the mail.
This the way with true faith. It hands its case over to God, and then He works. That is a fine verse in the Thirty-seventh Psalm: "Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He worketh." But He never worketh till we commit. Faith is a receiving or still better, a taking of God's proffered gifts. We may believe, and come, and commit, and rest; but we will not fully realize all our blessing until we begin to receive and come into the attitude of abiding and taking. --Days of Heaven upon Earth
Dr. Payson, when a young man, wrote as follows, to an aged mother, burdened with intense anxiety on account of the condition of her son: "You give yourself too much trouble about him. After you have prayed for him, as you have done, and committed him to God, should you not cease to feel anxious respecting him? The command, 'Be careful for nothing,' is unlimited; and so is the expression, 'Casting all your care on him.' If we cast our burdens upon another, can they continue to press upon us? If we bring them away with us from the Throne of Grace, it is evident we do not leave them there. With respect to myself, I have made this one test of my prayers: if after committing anything to God, I can, like Hannah, come away and have my mind no more sad, my heart no more pained or anxious, I look upon it as one proof that I have prayed in faith; but, if I bring away my burden, I conclude that faith was not in exercise."
Sermon Outline
- I. True Faith
- A. Drops its letter in the post office box and lets it go
- B. Hands its case over to God and trusts Him
- C. Receives or takes God's proffered gifts
- II. Committing to God
- A. Cease to feel anxious after praying and committing to God
- B. Casting all care on God is unlimited
- III. Resting in Faith
- A. Faith is the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1)
- B. We will not fully realize all our blessing until we begin to receive
Key Quotes
“Faith is...the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1).” — Charles E. Cowman
“Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He worketh.” — Charles E. Cowman
“Be careful for nothing, and casting all your care on him.” — Charles E. Cowman
Application Points
- To experience true rest in faith, you must commit your way to God and trust Him to work.
- Faith is not just about praying, but also about receiving and taking God's proffered gifts.
- Anxiety and burden can be cast on God, and we should cease to feel anxious after praying and committing to Him.