Reason #897
I have really only done it three times in my life. Three times that I can actually remember. Three occasions that I can specifically tie to a date and event. Three times I decided not to worry. I decided I was done trying to figure it out, trying to do it on my own. I decided I was going to really let God take care of it. Place it in His hands and trust in His perfect plan and perfect timing. I decided that I wouldn't try to get the ball rolling or force things to happen. I've been known to force a thing or two in my day, and I decided I wasn't going to be a forcer. I was truly going to believe that God would make it happen if it was His will to happen. I knew He had heard my requests, I knew that He had my best interest at heart, and so I simply let go, gave up leaning on my own strength, and I let God take care of me.
Three times it worked out. Each time, I literally did nothing. I did no work to get there, I didn't worry, the only thing I did was trust. And each of those three times, God took care of it for me. Without using any of my energy of efforts, God met my needs, my heart's desires, and all I did was let Him.
Isn't it crazy how that works? God doesn't call us to be His assistants, but that's the role we want to take. We want to work for it when He never asked us to. We want to spin our wheels, burn our energy, and worry ulcers into our stomachs for some reason. It's like we think that if we don't "help Him out," it may not happen or it may not happen the way we think it should. For some reason, we tend to wonder if the God who made the whole universe, who breathes life into mankind, who make the sun rise and set each day, who sends the rain, and gives new life, can really take care of this thing we're worried about. And so really, what it amounts to is that we end up making things happen that maybe He didn't intend or plan for us. We go ahead and pray about it and quickly get the ball rolling just to help out, you know. And yet all God does is ask us to rest. He asks us to lay it at His feet and trust Him. He asks us to do all the things we don't.
So three times I did what God asked me to do. I trusted Him with all my heart. I leaned on His understanding. I acknowledged Him in all my ways. He directed my path. (Proverbs 3:5-6) When I needed a roommate to help me pay the bills and ease me into living on my own, He sent me one. I didn't advertise that I needed one. I didn't even look for one. God brought her right to me. And when I decided I wanted to start dating again, He opened that door. I didn't tell anyone I was ready, I wasn't actively seeking and searching and trying to get noticed. Yet God not only sent me a wonderful guy to date right off the bat, He actually let me marry him, too. I would have never imagined the first guy I dated would be the one I had prayed for my whole life. God took care of it. And when I began praying about a job, when I finally laid my desires down and God's feet and told Him was I was trusting that He would meet those desires and use the talents and abilities He had given me, He presented me with the opportunity. I didn't apply for the job. I didn't even know it existed. God initiated the entire thing, and I was blown away that I was actually being pursued to have the very job I thought I'd never get.
So stop. Stop working. Stop trying so hard. Stop worrying and driving yourself crazy. Let God take care of you. Let God work it out for you. He has better things in store for you than you do for yourself, trust me. And if it is His will for you, He will work it out. If it's not His will for you, He won't. Either way, it will be for your benefit. God is on your side. So relax, let go, and trust Him.
#897 - Because He will work things out for us... and for our benefit.
"The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." - Psalm 28:7
Three times it worked out. Each time, I literally did nothing. I did no work to get there, I didn't worry, the only thing I did was trust. And each of those three times, God took care of it for me. Without using any of my energy of efforts, God met my needs, my heart's desires, and all I did was let Him.
Isn't it crazy how that works? God doesn't call us to be His assistants, but that's the role we want to take. We want to work for it when He never asked us to. We want to spin our wheels, burn our energy, and worry ulcers into our stomachs for some reason. It's like we think that if we don't "help Him out," it may not happen or it may not happen the way we think it should. For some reason, we tend to wonder if the God who made the whole universe, who breathes life into mankind, who make the sun rise and set each day, who sends the rain, and gives new life, can really take care of this thing we're worried about. And so really, what it amounts to is that we end up making things happen that maybe He didn't intend or plan for us. We go ahead and pray about it and quickly get the ball rolling just to help out, you know. And yet all God does is ask us to rest. He asks us to lay it at His feet and trust Him. He asks us to do all the things we don't.
So three times I did what God asked me to do. I trusted Him with all my heart. I leaned on His understanding. I acknowledged Him in all my ways. He directed my path. (Proverbs 3:5-6) When I needed a roommate to help me pay the bills and ease me into living on my own, He sent me one. I didn't advertise that I needed one. I didn't even look for one. God brought her right to me. And when I decided I wanted to start dating again, He opened that door. I didn't tell anyone I was ready, I wasn't actively seeking and searching and trying to get noticed. Yet God not only sent me a wonderful guy to date right off the bat, He actually let me marry him, too. I would have never imagined the first guy I dated would be the one I had prayed for my whole life. God took care of it. And when I began praying about a job, when I finally laid my desires down and God's feet and told Him was I was trusting that He would meet those desires and use the talents and abilities He had given me, He presented me with the opportunity. I didn't apply for the job. I didn't even know it existed. God initiated the entire thing, and I was blown away that I was actually being pursued to have the very job I thought I'd never get.
So stop. Stop working. Stop trying so hard. Stop worrying and driving yourself crazy. Let God take care of you. Let God work it out for you. He has better things in store for you than you do for yourself, trust me. And if it is His will for you, He will work it out. If it's not His will for you, He won't. Either way, it will be for your benefit. God is on your side. So relax, let go, and trust Him.
#897 - Because He will work things out for us... and for our benefit.
"The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." - Psalm 28:7