“I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return.” (2 Timothy 1:12)
Heavenly Father, I release to you the burdens that I have been carrying, burdens that You never intended for me to carry. I cast all my cares upon You-all my worries, all my fears.
Father, calm my restless spirit, quiet my anxious heart, still my troubling thoughts with the assurance that You are in control. I let go of my grip upon the things I have been hanging onto, with opened hands I come to You.
I thank You for Your promise to sustain me, preserve me, and guard all that I have entrusted to Your keeping. Protect my heart and mind with Your peace, the peace that passes all understanding. Father, may Your will be done in my life, in Your time, and in Your way.
Amen.
(By Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer)
There has been a lot of shaking happening in New Zealand at the moment. Last week a large earthquake occurred in the South Island. The aftershocks and tremors of which are still happening. The damage to the land and to people’s homes and livelihoods is severe. The landscape is forever altered.
In our lives there are occurrences, events that will shake us. Earthquakes without a doubt! But also changes in our lives – the loss of a family member, changes in finances, health, employment. The list can go on. Some circumstances will seem to shake us to our very core.
But just as earthquakes reveal the strength of the buildings within which we live and work, so too does our response to our circumstances reveal the framework of our faith. It reveals our foundational beliefs that we hold of God. Beliefs about God’s goodness, His intent toward us and His love. We can’t afford to build a belief system that is based only on what we see and experience in our lives.
Lysa TerKeurst wrote “if God is good and God is good to me, then I must fill in the gaps of all the unknowns in my life with a resounding statement of trust: God is good at being God.”
We need to trust God. We need to ensure that our circumstances are framed by God’s truth and who God is. God is constant in every season of our lives, whether that season is good or bad. We need to that thought settle in our hearts. God is always there. Always good.
Shaken we can be, yes.
Stirred no.
Sometimes in life you find yourself attending appointments you’d never thought you’d need to go to, sitting in waiting rooms you never knew existed, ordering books you never thought you would use. Sometimes you feel like you hopped on board a rollercoaster when you were expecting a sedate train ride.
That’s life. The unexpected does happen. As much as we’d like to be in control of our lives we aren’t. Sure there’s a lot that we can determine even if it is just what we wear for the day, but there’s much that we can’t influence or for that matter change.
Fortunately, nothing takes God by surprise. Even when we are on uncharted territory we are not alone for He is there with us. And while we may be forging new paths and climbing new mountains we can know that God still guides our steps. In other words, God is there with us surrounding us with wisdom and strength, grace and peace for every step that we take.
“With all your heart rely on Him to guide you, and He will lead you in every decision you make.” (Proverbs 3:5 The Passion Translation)
Heading outside to do something as mundane as putting the rubbish out, I took a moment to look up at the night sky. There is something amazingly reassuring about looking at the night sky knowing that the billion of stars scattered across it, like diamonds on velvet, are held in place by a God who knows what He is doing. We need to trust in the one who knows the future. We don’t have to fear the future when facing it with God. Oprah Winfrey once said “I don’t know what the future holds but I know who holds the future.” It says in Colossians “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” He holds the universe in His hands – He holds us in His hands.
Most of our anxieties and worry comes from our concern for tomorrow – for the future. The stress of major decisions to make, commitments to meet or financial pressures to resolve. The apprehension around our health or in my case the meeting with my son’s teacher. We can be anxious, in fear. Yet if we turn to the Bible we will see time and time again, reassurance, encouragement from God not to worry. We find courage knowing that God is in control and nothing takes Him by surprise.
We need to let trust in God settle our hearts and dispel all anxiety.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
Trust in the one who knows and your soul will find calm, your soul will find peace.
I must confess, I was somewhat taken aback as to the absolute trust and confidence my 2 year old puts in my ability to catch him. Stuck at the top of a big slide, jumping into my arms was to him less of a risk than actually going down the slide. He had more faith than me. But then he had all the reason to have faith in his mum – I’d never missed before. Jumping into my arms was a sure bet in his eyes and in my arms, as there has been since he was born, was comfort and reassurance. He knew, even if I at that moment doubted myself, that I would catch him.
Fortunately for us, God does not have any doubts as to His ability to catch us. In fact it is us who are hesitant, doubting and unsure that He will be there to catch us as we take a leap of faith. It’s scary to step out and witness to someone, or to offer to pray for them. It’s scary to stand in front of a crowd to preach. And I think that often what really scares us is the fear that God won’t show up. That He won’t give us the words to say when we open our mouths. That He won’t be there to strengthen us. That He won’t catch us as we take that leap.
Indiana Jones faced a similar predicament. In the last of tests to reach the Holy Grail he has to take a literal leap of faith into an abyss. After he takes his first step into nothing a bridge appears. The Disciple Peter took a leap too – out of the boat and onto the water where he began to walk.
After we open our mouths to speak, God fills it. And He is with us always. When we take that leap, God is there.
I realised later that when my son jumped into my arms his eyes were fixed on me. That’s what we need to do. Eyes fixed on Jesus means a heart that won’t falter. It means we can walk on water. It means we can take the leap of faith.
