Day 7/21 – The Experience of Believing

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Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man by Walter A Henrichsen (“Walt”)
The Experience of Believing
Day Two Hundred Two

“Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” John 20:29

You believe something either on the basis of personal experience or the testimony of others. When evaluating the testimony of others, there are various levels of reliability. For example, Jesus told the disciples before His crucifixion that He would die and be raised again. You believe because what He said happened. Second, you see evidence without actually witnessing the event. John looked in at the empty tomb and seeing the burial cloth, believed. Third, you believe the experience of someone else. This believing Jesus extols: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

Your conversion confirms your belief in Christ, but biblically it is not the reason you believe. The object of your faith determines the validity of your faith. The object of your faith is God, but you cannot believe simply because you experienced His power in your life; you believe Scripture as well. Only in the Bible do you meet and get to know God. God will not accept belief in Himself apart from belief in His revelation.

Many people claim to have wonderful experiences with God, but not necessarily the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. Your experience, as important as it is, must be based on the Word of God. Otherwise you can easily end in idolatry, worshipping a god of your own creation.

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Psalm 29-30 Acts 23:1-15 (New King James Version)

Psalm 29-30
Praise to God in His Holiness and Majesty
A Psalm of David.
29
Give[a] unto the Lord, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
2
[b]Give unto the Lord the glory [c]due to His name;
Worship the Lord in the [d]beauty of holiness.
3
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders;
The Lord is over many waters.
4
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
Yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
6
He makes them also skip like a calf,
Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7
The voice of the Lord [e]divides the flames of fire.
8
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.
9
The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth,
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”
10
The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood,
And the Lord sits as King forever.
11
The Lord will give strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace.
The Blessedness of Answered Prayer
A Psalm. A Song at the dedication of the house of David.
30
I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my foes rejoice over me.
2
O Lord my God, I cried out to You,
And You healed me.
3
O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave;
You have kept me alive, [f]that I should not go down to the pit.
4
Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of [g]His holy name.
5
For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But [h]joy comes in the morning.
6
Now in my prosperity I said,
“I shall never be [i]moved.”
7
Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong;
You hid Your face, and I was troubled.
8
I cried out to You, O Lord;
And to the Lord I made supplication:
9
“What profit is there in my blood,
When I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise You?
Will it declare Your truth?
10
Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me;
Lord, be my helper!”
11
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off [j]my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
12
To the end that my [k]glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
Footnotes:
• Psalm 29:1 Ascribe
• Psalm 29:2 Ascribe
• Psalm 29:2 Lit. of His name
• Psalm 29:2 majesty
• Psalm 29:7 stirs up, lit. hews out
• Psalm 30:3 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt., LXX, Syr., Vg. from those who descend to the pit
• Psalm 30:4 Or His holiness
• Psalm 30:5 a shout of joy
• Psalm 30:6 shaken
• Psalm 30:11 The sackcloth of my mourning
• Psalm 30:12 soul

Acts 23:1-15
The Jerusalem Jews Plot to Kill Paul
23 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” 2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”
4 And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?”
5 Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”
6 But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”
7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. 8 For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. 9 Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees’ party arose and protested, saying, “We find no evil in this man; [a]but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.”
10 Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.
The Plot Against Paul
11 But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, [b]“Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”
12 And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. 14 They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you [c]tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”
Footnotes:
• Acts 23:9 NU what if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him? omitting the last clause
• Acts 23:11 Take courage
• Acts 23:15 NU omits tomorrow