Walking by Faith

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blhowes

Puritan Board Professor
What events in your life come to mind when you think of times when you had to do something you thought was beyond your abilities, when you had to just put your trust in God and 'go for it'?

For me, I think it was definitely when I responded to a pastor's request for somebody to lead the song/testimony time during the evening services many years ago. Fear of speaking in front of people use to be a biggy for me. In my freshman year at college, I had to give a presentation with 3 others and I just froze up there - couldn't say a word. I actually switched majors 2 or 3 times when I found out that one of the required courses was a public speaking class.

When it came time to lead the evening service for the first time, I was fearful, but God used the scripture "I can do all things through Christ..." to help me overcome the fear and get up there and do it. Thinking back, I'm amazed at what God can do.
 
When I quit my last job when they violated my standards to a point that I could no longer stand it. My wife and I had no idea what we were going to do. We had something that looked good but had no idea how long it was going to take for it to work out or if it even would for sure.

We are so blessed that four months after quitting what we strived and prayed for came to be.
 
Today was one of those times. I feared stepping into the pulpit today for my first expository sermon. But God was faithful and allowed me to call to mind my outline.
 
Mine was similar to yours, Bob. I was called upon to play piano for worship services, and I could only do a few songs well enough for people to sing along with. I freeze up when I'm not sure of myself. Put a guitar in my hands and I'm OK no matter how many people there are, nor how many better guitar players there are; it doesn't bother me at all. But on the keys, that's another thing. But someone needed to do it, because the congregation desparately needed leading in song.

I prayed fervently before I put my hands down; and then played the words instead of the notes. And before long (I mean days, not months) I was playing just about any song required for the worship services. I still had no means to practice at home, so I hardly ever had an opportunity to go through the songs beforehand. I usually played them the first time during the service, with people singing along.

That was a significant answer to prayer. When I got a piano for my home some time later, I found that I could do things that I had never imagined doing before. But mostly, I found that the songs for worship were much more to me than songs, as I studied each slated verse carefully as I had opportunity.
 
That's awesome Bill! :)

For me there have been many times, some "in my control" and some "out of them" (I use those phrases loosely of course) I'll list three of them, then stop so I don't write a book! ;)

When I was 27, I had a preciously undiagnosed heart condition and began going into congestive heart failure unexpectedly. At 27 I faced death. They did surgery and TOTALLY fixed it.. but what they thought was going to be a hole between the chambers of my heart the size of a dime was actually the size of a 1/2 dollar. Honestly, I shouldn't have lived 27 years with that, especially mostly w/o symptoms

The pregnancy with our 2nd child turned out to be a bedrest waiting game for 3 1/2 months to see if <b>he and I would both live... we did</b>...he's a smart kid too :)

God called us to pack up and move from Seattle to "the south"..sell our house and everything, not knowing WHERE in the south we were going...but to pack up everything and follow where He told us...kids and all.
God has blessed and provided. He is faithful
 
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