Walking in trust

I’m learning a new level of walking in trust.

It’s been a place I’ve been in for a while now.

God has been teaching me to rest in the day I am in and not try to plan or figure the future events without His leading.

Recently, I was reminded again of this.

I’d been earnestly praying about something in the future which I was feeling a great deal of fear over

I’d asked the Lord for a scripture, that I could understand His will for my responses and actions.

He answered:

and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21 KJV

It wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was exactly what I needed.

That future thing I was worrying over is not where I need to be focused.

Today has enough trouble of it’s own and God is in both places, today and tomorrow and eternity.

I can rest in trusting Him to supply all my needs for the future.

I can be certain He’s going to guide and direct me when I need to know which way to go.

I can find peace in today through diligently completing the tasks at hand.

With all of these truths back in the forefront of my thoughts, I’m no longer concerned about that future thing which I had allowed to create fear in my heart.

I’m so thankful to God for His faithfulness!

Psalm 18:30 KJV — As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

Psalm 42:5 KJV — Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

Psalm 40:1 KJV — To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for speaking so clearly into my heart. Thank You for Your ways, they are perfect. Thank You for bringing me peace and showing me my error. Lord, please forgive me for allowing fear and worry to rob me of my joy. Thank You for bringing me back to the truth. Lord, thank You for answering prayer! I am overwhelmed by Your mercy, Your grace, and Your faithfulness! Thank You so much for all Your wonderous works! Blessed be Your name, Jesus. Amen.

Worry

Like these weeds disrupting the beauty of the landscape, worry often clutters my perspective.

I wrestled with it throughout the month of August.

Then, when I least expected it, God rolled in.

He is always faithful and on time.

And I was ashamed of my struggle, because I know how to walk in trust, I just hadn’t.

Yet, the Lord brought this recent lesson to mind as I was worrying about a different circumstance, two weeks ago.

He followed up the memory with a question:

Didn’t I supply your need then?

“Yes, Lord! You did. I’m so sorry for falling prey to worry. Please forgive me.”

And the peace flowed into my heart displacing worry and removing it completely.

-sigh-

“Lord, thank You. I’m so blessed to have Your patient guidance and direction. I know You will supply all our needs.”

“I trust You, Jesus.”

Anne noticed the change in my demeanor.

“What is it, Mom?”

“Oh, I’ve been worrying about something and the Lord reminded me: He is our provision.”

She smiled.

“Yeah.”

This began a discussion about things she’d been struggling with and we were both encouraged in the Lord.

I am humbled by God and His patient, faithful, teaching.

I’m amazed at how He allows me to admit my faults and brings good out of my errors.

To willingly speak of His lessons and His blessings from my experiences, both good and bad, is a testimony of His power to change the hearts of those who are called by His name.

My prayer is to never chose what I know is wrong, nor to neglect what I know is right, but when I do transgress, that God would correct me quickly and I would be able to grow through the experience.

I can say that He is answering that prayer and teaching me the beauty of humility.

Then, days after this, He blessed my heart with a solution to the thing I’d been struggling with.

And I hadn’t done a thing to solve the problem, He did it.

God is faithful.

God is good.

His ways are perfect.

That doesn’t mean everything is always comfortable and easy.

Rather, it means I am learning daily to rest more and more in His ways, trusting that I can find good in every circumstance, for He is with me.

Praise the Lord!

1 Corinthians 1:9 KJV — God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your faithfulness! Thank You for Your patient lessons, teaching me each day. Lord, it would be easy to beat myself up for my lack of faith in You, but I’d rather spend the time praising You for Your faithfulness! For You have used these things to build monuments in my heart, that I can look at and chose to walk in faith today. Lord, thank You for using these things to grow and strengthen me. I know You are working. I know You are trustworthy. I know You are God and I need not always understand what You are doing, but I can always trust that it is good, because You are good. May my life bring glory to Your name, Jesus. Amen.

Boxing up

I had a dream last night about packing.

It was weird (as most dreams tend to be).

Yet, I clearly saw my recent mental gymnastics reflected in the stressed out “me” in the dream.

It is due to a combination of two priorities which don’t work together: packing our house and homeschooling our son.

I have often had to guard against the mental “what if?”.

Because not only am I fighting my flesh which wants things a certain way, there’s also doubt which tries to wind me up and rob my joy.

But in my heart I have peace.

God will supply all our needs.

He is faithful.

Like yesterday.

We finished school early.

We started by seven (which is definitely the Lord’s blessing).

We drove down yesterday and signed papers on the new house!

Praise the Lord!

God supplied all our needs throughout.

He has made “a way in the desert”.

I know He will help me get everything done in His time and without me stressing.

Matthew 6:31-33 NKJV — “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

It’s so true!

I have all I need, because Jesus has me.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your patience with me. Thank You for understanding my fears and worries and showing me a better way. Lord, thank You for showing me what I’m struggling with, because if I’m blind to my own sin I can’t repent and turn away from it. Lord, please continue to hone my heart, to help me to be soft, gentle, kind, loving, quick to forgive, quick to listen, slow to anger and slow to speak. Lord, please place a guard upon my lips that I might speak “no unwholesome talk” for I do not want to grieve Your Spirit. I don’t want to spread my own struggles to others. Lord, please forgive me if I have already done so in anyway. Lord thank You for walking us through all these things. Thank You for Your provision of a new home and new job. Lord, please show us how to glorify Your name in all these things. I love You, Jesus! Amen.

Living in today

Matthew 6:34 NKJV — “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Jesus’s words are so rich.

Yet, how easy is it to live in today without worry?

Especially those worries which point to a future moment.

“What about…?”

“How will…?”

“What if…?”

At times our minds can be so full of doubt, worry, and fear that we feel overwhelmed and lost.

Our very understanding is twisted by despair if not unchecked.

Therefore Jesus’s words hold such freedom.

Live in today and don’t worry about tomorrow.

Each day has enough in it without dragging in worries and fears about tomorrow, next week, next year.

Yet, without purposeful effort, the enemy will bombard our minds with worry, fear, and doubt.

So how do we live in today and refuse to fall into the web of worry?

Be purposeful.

Take every thought captive.

Choose to trust God.

At times it’s helpful just to state it.

“Lord, I don’t know what is happening and tomorrow seems so uncertain, but I trust You to handle it all. What is the task at hand I need to focus on?”

Then follow through.

If you can’t hear the Lord direct you, look to see what needs to be done and do it.

Sometimes that’s as mundane as laundry.

Sometimes it’s as eternal as guiding a child’s heart.

Sometimes it’s as small as an encouraging word.

Sometimes it’s as monumental as God’s truth in season.

Whatever you find to do, do it with all your might unto the Lord.

In the doing, is where we will find our faith in God built-up.

Live in today unto the Lord, and refuse to fall prey to the enemy’s schemes of worry.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for this verse. Please help us to better understand how to walk without fear. Lord, we are frail and often feel helpless. Please step in at those moments and take charge of our hearts and minds, bringing us security in You. Lord, thank You for being so faithful and diligent in all things and teaching us how to walk closer to You each day. Lord, if there is anything which has tied and trapped us into the enemy’s web of worry, please expose it, so we might repent and allow You to cut the ties that bind us to sin. Lord Jesus, we love You and we thank You for all You are doing on our behalf. We praise Your glorious name! Amen!

…the substance of things hoped for

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 NKJV

I needed these words this morning.

For months I’ve been praying specifically for a circumstance.

Standing before the Lord in prayer on behalf of this need.

Yet, it has remained elusive.

This morning my faith was lacking as I again prayed for this circumstance.

The Lord graciously reminded me of all He has done and all He will do.

He walked me past the circumstance and reminded me of the truth.

No matter how this turns out, I can trust Him.

It’s embarrassing!

After all the faith and trust I can easily put into other areas, for some reason this circumstance has me tied in knots.

Why is my faith lacking here?

What has caused me to continually pull this out of “God’s hands” and worry over it?

Have I learned nothing?

No.

It’s just a different lesson.

A test I’ve never taken before.

Frankly, it’s good.

It shows me where my heart is and how I need to relinquish yet another part into the Father’s hands.

I didn’t even realize I was holding onto it until this circumstance.

-sigh-

What boundless patience my Lord has!

How incredible that He will care so much as to walk with me in this way!

How truly deserving He is of all praise and glory!

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for showing me my heart’s condition concerning this. Thank You for Your patience with me as I have worried instead of trusted. Thank You for guiding me back to faith. No matter how this circumstance turns out, no matter what comes from it, I trust that it will be what is best. I know You understand so much more than I. Thank You for being so incredibly loving and for giving me another opportunity to grow in faith.

Choosing to think

It took time, effort, and prayer to change our house so I can live in it while we work towards the next one.

It has taken more energy than I expected to learn how to live with asthma.

Friday afternoon, as I drove north to spend a few days with Tim, Sis, and Faith I realized it was time to choose what I was thinking.

Of late my mind has been bombarded with tasks, lists, and expectations.

Our next month calendar has already been riddled with events, deadlines, and “to do”.

Not to mention the things which have been pushed into this last week.

As I drove I was praying.

Or thought I was.

The Lord was the One to gently speak to my heart about what I was actually doing.

I had been “worrying with words”.

I was carefully asking God for specific things in detail.

I was telling the Lord everything that I needed to have occur and exactly how to make it.

What if I don’t?

-pause-

“You are right Lord. You know best and I do not.”

Do you trust Me enough to allow things to fail?

-do I?-

-it is a choice-

“Yes Lord, You know what is best.”

-emotions do not make my choices-

“Lord, please forgive my lack of understanding that I would think I know what is best. Please forgive my attitude that I need to tell You how to handle any thing.”

And from there I changed.

I began by telling the Lord how much I trust Him.

I named all the things about Him I could think of.

I praised Him for all He has done for me and my family and so many others.

That led into choosing to thank Him no matter the outcome of any of these details which I had been praying for.

And as my prayers continued it became apparent these things were flowing out of a choice.

The Lord had shown me the error in my “worrying with words”.

He was calling me to choose to think on all things through the faith of a little child.

Never have I had a small child ask me the details of preparing a meal.

They just want to know when they get to eat it.

I can apply that to prayer.

Instead of trying to pray in grand detail over every particle of the problem, I can humbly come to the Lord and tell Him of my need.

Then, I can communicate the emotion which is tied to my request.

With the burden unloaded at my Savior’s feet it comes logically to praise and thanksgiving.

What else is better than being able to bring my cares to Christ and then to rest in His will?

And throughout this process my heart needs to be listening.

Prayer is communication with God, which means He too has something to say.

And I want to hear it.

With each lesson I learn from the Lord, I want to apply it.

Praise the Lord for His patience and willingness to teach me.

Now the opportunity is to make a new habit.

I will choose to think on Christ and to follow the path He has laid out for me.

-no matter what-

Praise the Lord!

River

I got up early
to water my flowers.

I’d already made my hubby his lunch and decided that a little time with my garden might help.

(There’s just something about flowers that makes me happy.)

My sleep hadn’t been sweet and my dreams were nightmares.

So I was feeling out of sorts.

As I watered I gave into

airing

my worries to the Lord.

What about this need?
How am I going to get to that ?
When should I try to go there and..?

You get the idea.

Instead the Lord talked about watering.

Which plants need more water?

The young.

Which plants can handle a dry spell better?

The ones that are established. Their roots have spread out and can gather more.

Which one are you?

Stop.

Sigh.

Deep breath.

Thank You.

I am still young but wasn’t planted yesterday and I know Who it is that waters me.

If I feel a little dry I probably need to stretch out and search the Word again.

Like this morning.

I came in and read my Bible about gardening, and I realized even when God plants a garden it needs watering.

“Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden,…” Gen. 2:10a

Like me, I hope you allow Him to water you this morning.

Unexpected

 

Change happens in the blink of an eye

life takes a sudden turn

You walk around a bend

And experience something

Unexpected

How are we to take these things?

How are we to walk without knowing what might yet befall us?

The natural is to fear

“What if…?!”

I have had many times when the “what if” would sneak up on me

and attack

Stifling me with the thoughts of worry, fear, even terror

of what might be around the next bend

Often causing great emotional distress

And in these moments I forget

the very real things in worrying about the may-happens

But it is in these real things that I find peace from the “what if”

First is that I am not alone:

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deu. 31:6

my Heavenly Father was always there

Second I have the assurance that this world is not all there is:

“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2

One day I will be ushered into heaven and the cares and worries of this life shall fall away like

d-r-y leaves

Third is fear of this nature is not from God:

“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:7

He tells me over and over in His word not to fear but to trust in Him.

Lastly there are bends in the road and things unexpected

But not all of them are bad

“Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation!” Ps. 68:19

Very often the unexpected are blessings hidden throughout my day

If

I am willing to look

and I’m not distracted

by the “what if…?!”