I was out walking yesterday morning and I was thinking about faith. I was thinking specifically about the rest of this year. I guess like many of you, there are things I am believing God for. Even though I don’t yet have all the details of how things will work out, I’m learning to leave things in God’s hands. I’m noticing that by diligently communicating with the Lord my faith is growing stronger. Sharing all my concerns with Him, while professing His sovereignty over my situation, is bringing me to a place of peace.
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Peace is what God wants for you and me. He knows that we can only achieve peace, by giving our worries over to Him. We must trust Him to take care of us, because He promised us that He will.
After writing “Our God is the God of Abundance” yesterday, I kept thinking about God’s timing. I thought about how although we know God is sovereign over all things (Colossians 1:16), we must still wait for His plans to unfold.
Knowing that God is an abundant God with unlimited resources, it can be a struggle at times to patiently wait. When we are anxious, we can easily find ourselves wondering why God is taking so long to move in our situation. After persevering in prayer for days, months, or even years we may feel tired and discouraged.
Psalm 27:14 NLT, “Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.”
There are times when God chooses to move suddenly and turn things around, but He doesn’t always do that. We don’t always know the reasons behind our waiting. God may reveal details to us, but other times He requires us to just trust Him.
I used to have a picture on the wall that said, “Faith is trusting God when you do not understand.” That’s what is great about putting our faith in Jesus Christ, we don’t have to understand. Everything does not have to make sense to our human minds (Proverbs 3:5-6).
We can find comfort in knowing that He will strengthen us as we persevere through our waiting. We can cry out to Him at anytime of day or night, and He promised to hear our cries for help.
Psalm 18:6 NLT, “But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.”
He promised to give us His peace in exchange for our prayers (Philippians 4:6-7). As you are waiting, remember that God will never leave you. With every trial you face, God has a purpose and a plan, so don’t lose hope.
Matthew 6:34 NIV, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
My mom always uses the phrase, “one day at a time”. Thanks to her, it’s one of my favorite phrases too. According to this verse in Matthew, “one day at a time” is all we really can handle. God didn’t intend for us to carry tomorrow’s troubles today.
I remember when the Israelites tried to hoard the manna/bread, after the Lord instructed them to only gather what they needed for the day (Exodus 16). The extra manna/bread they kept spoiled and smelled really bad.
This reminds me of how it is when we carry tomorrow’s worries today. The extra stress will cause us to be less effective, drained and unhappy. It will spoil our outlook if we let it. We’d like to know the details of tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year! However we must be content with God’s provision for today.
We must take one day at a time and trust God to give us our daily bread. I pray God will give you peace of mind, strength and hope for today.
Even with the busyness of life we just have to take time to stop and be still before the Lord. When we take time out to quietly sit still in His presence, it reminds us that He is the One who can handle all of our worries. Just being still, gives us the opportunity to exhale and enter into the peace that the Holy Spirit desires to give to us.
Psalm 46:10(NIV), “…Be still, and know that I am God…”
When stress tries to consume us, we just need to be still. Our God is able to carry every burden we have. He will strengthen us and keep us safely in His care. There is no trial that is too great for Him. As we sit quietly before God, we experience the comfort of His presence. We can sense that His love is surrounding us, and living inside of us through the Holy Spirit. As we are still before the Lord, He will bring healing to our minds and hearts.
Don’t be afraid to be still. It is in taking time to be still, that we come to know and understand that He is God.
It’s easy to become anxious because there is so much going on to be anxious about. Even on days where we may feel we have it all together, an unexpected news update showing the latest tragedy can ignite fear within our hearts. When things happen that are beyond our control, it can cause us to feel worried and insecure.
God tells us not to worry…
Matthew 6:34(NIV), “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
I know it’s easy to feel comfortable when things are going smoothly and according to our plans. When we have an “abundant supply”, we feel more in control. Rather it’s an abundance of clothes, food, money, friends, “likes” on social media (Lol), good health, or whatever it is that seems to bring us comfort and a sense of control. It’s good when we have these things, however it’s not good when we allow them to replace God’s security in our lives. The things we have can be here today and gone tomorrow. Life can change so quickly.
God wants us to look to Him for our every need…
Matthew 6:28-32(NIV), “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”
I just want to remind you that you are rare and valuable in God’s eyes. Your value is not rooted in how many possessions you have or how many achievements you have made. You’re valuable because you are created in the image of God and He loves you. You are unique because there is only one you.
God wants us to find our true value in Him…
Matthew 6:26(NIV), “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
There is No Need to Worry because God has promised to take care of you.
Drawing Closer to Christ 