The late Major W. Ian Thomas has contributed some thoughts on “LET” and “LETTING” as related to faith. His insights have been of great personal benefit in my own spiritual journey.

Major W. Ian Thomas: “The Bible has only 2 things to say:

1. Christ died to redeem you, LET HIM,
2. And He rose again from the dead to live his life IN you, and share that life WITH you, and communicate that life THROUGH you, LET HIM.

That’s really all the Bible has to say; everything else derives from those two basic facts, and LETTTING HIM is what the Bible calls faith. Faith LETS! Faith isn’t believing things you know aren’t true. Faith isn’t trying to believe things. Faith is LETTING something or somebody demonstrate to you by your consent the truth of the things you find it hard to believe. Your faith brings somebody or something else into action on your behalf.

Since faith allows somebody or something else to come into action on your behalf, the strength of your faith lies not in your faith; the strength of your faith lies in the object of your faith.

The more confident you are in the object of your faith, the less conscious you are of the faith you are exercising in that object. This confidence comes from getting acquainted.

Faith allows the invisible (God acting within you) to become visible (to the rest of the world).

Faith allows God to vindicate His Deity.”

Commentary: The giving of consent is active, not passive and involves a choice, an act of the will. So is it possible that a person who thinks he has weak faith, actually has weak LETTING? And is this weak LETTING a symptom of being more focused on himself rather than being focused on the object of his faith? And is it possible that such a person’s real problem is not in the realm of faith, but in the realm of relationship, in needing to become better acquainted?

Commentary by Lowell E. Becker, M.D.

The late Maj. W. Ian Thomas said, “The Word of God is not only redemptive, it is also regenerative”. God’s Word, as illuminated by the Holy Spirit, will change us from the inside out, giving us the opportunity to align our thinking with His. These changes in our thinking will be followed by changes in our belief system, our emotions and our behaviors.

The God of hope wants to change you into a person who is increasingly more positive and hopeful. LET HIM. (See Letting and Faith in this section).

Hope is based on the belief that the future can be better.

Hope can sustain us through the difficult times, as long as it is not just wishful thinking.

For hope to be more than just wishful thinking, it must be based on a belief system that is truth-based and knowledge-based.

Hope that is truth-based and knowledge-based will generate positive emotions:

• Emotions that reflect truth and knowledge will solidify the hope.
• Emotions that do not reflect truth and knowledge will soon fade.

Hope that is based on God’s Word is both truth-based and knowledge-based.

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. These words, initially from Jeremiah to the exiles in Babylon have been demonstrated down through the ages to reflect God’s attitude to all of His people.

In Hebrews 6:17-19 NIV we are told that God offers us hope that we may be greatly encouraged, and “we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure”.

1 Peter 1:3 NIV “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”.

Romans 15:4 NIV “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope”.

Colossians 1:15 NIV “The faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel”.

The origin and continued source of hope that is truth-based and knowledge-based is the Living Word.

John 1:1-3 NIV “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men”.

Commentary by Lowell E. Becker, M.D.

As I was considering posting it on this website, I examined it closely to be sure that I could fully support the content. Although I found the overall concept of “Slow Me Down Lord” to be useful, I also found that I would have difficulty suporting some of the content from a theological perspective.

Also, why should I wait for the Lord to slow me down? Why shouldn’t I take the initiative, exercise personal responsibility and slow myself down? With this background in mind, “Lord, I Will Pause” was created.

“Lord, I Will Pause” content can be found in the Family Resource Library.

“Lord, Today I Will Pause” content can be found in the section Note To Encourage.

Lowell E. Becker, M.D.