FAINTING


A. "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living"
  1. The Psalmist had such an affection for the goodness of the Lord:
    1. That for him to think that he could not see and enjoy the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, would have meant weakness in his soul
    2. His attachment to the Lord was so great that not to realize the constant realization of the blessing of the Lord would be an indication of a broken relationship
  2. Can we ascertain such fervor:
    1. For God's goodness
    2. For some of the Lord's gracious revelation of His goodness B. Fainting
  3. This expression occurs often in the bible:
    1. "If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small" - Prov. 24:10
    2. "The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint" - Is. 1:5
    3. "Even the youth shall faint and be weary" - Es. 40:30
    4. "Men ought always to pray, and not faint" - Luke 18:1
    5. "Let us not be weary in well-doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" - Gal. 6:9
    6. "Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds" - Heb. 12:3
    7. "Despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of the Lord" - Heb. 12:5
    8. And finally this compliment from the Lord, "For my name's sake thou hast labored and not fainted" - Rev. 2:3
  4. Reasons for fainting:
    1. Discouragement - when men are discouraged they are faint in body, soul, and spirit
    2. Chastisement is another cause for fainting
    3. Lack of endurance is still another reason for fainting C. GOD'S REMEDIES FOR FAINTING
  5. It is a great thing for us to know what to do for ourselves when we fall ill:
    1. We seek the counsel of a physician
    2. We apply the remedy suggested by Him
  6. What then are the remedies for our spiritual fainting:
    1. Remembrance of God's mercy - "As we have received mercy, we faint not" - 2 Cor. 4:1; being conscious of God's mercy in our lives gives us courage to stand and be steadfast in the Lord
    2. Waiting upon God - why is it that we are so easily tired; it is because we try to be good out of our own resources
  7. Such waiting upon the Lord implies three things:
    1. If means trust - "I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope" - Ps. 130:5; 59:9; "I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever" - Ps. 52:8; "He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust" - Ps. 91:4
    2. Perseverance in prayer - this truth is emphasized over and over in the Bible - said Jesus, that men ought always to pray and not faint" - Luke 18:1-8
    3. It means the exercise of patience - here is one condition in which we all lack; we are too impatient with the Lord; we want our requests met right now
    4. Note these timely Bible testimonies - "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him" - Ps. 37:7; "I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry" - Ps. 40:1. And Peter admonishes the sufferers with these words, "When ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God" - I Pet. 2:20
  8. This subject would not be complete without pointing out a special remedy for fainting:
    1. Feeding upon the word of life is bound to give strength to our soul - Jer. 15:16
    2. "Said Jesus, the Word made flesh, "I am the Bread of life...whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life...for My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed" - John 6:48-55


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