Talk the Talk Walk the Walk
For the past 8 years I have been sending out a daily prayer to family, friends, and some co-workers. The notice that I send out is intended to encourage people that the Lord has entrusted in my life to keep having faith in Jesus.
A few months back I was experiencing something that I did not have the courage or confidence to walk away from. The Lord stepped in and removed me from it! Where some might have looked at this change as being devastating, I remember the feelings of relief, thankfulness, and gratefulness! I felt a sense of Isaiah 43:19 which says, “See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
I prayed Lord, “Your will not mine.” You see I had other plans even though they were not in my best interest. My plans were familiar to me. But we know what the Lords says about our plans in Proverbs 16:1, “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.”
Now, it is time for me to walk in what I say to family each morning and let me say, I did not know where things were going but I trusted the Lord. Why? Because I cannot name one time in my life where the Lord has left me hanging. The Lord has pulled me out of situations, poor choices, and not listening to that gut feeling for as long as I can remember and each time I am strengthened by it; I have more faith because of it. No one will leave this earth unscathed.
I knew that it boiled down to this for me, either I trust in the Lord or I do not, and I trust in the Lord’s perfect timing. He is not slow to act. He knows that my hope and faith are in Him. Three times in Psalm 37 the Lord says in verse one, “do not fret” – Psalm 37.1, Psalm 37.7, and Psalm 37.8. So, it looks like the Lord does not want us to fret.
It takes faith to wait on the Lord because the wait can be hard. It is made even harder when I do not focus on the Lord and His promises. I have made enough mistakes in life to not focus on the one who always pulls me through. I say, Lord, “Your will not mine.”
It takes patience, determination, and courage to wait on the Lord. I had to learn that the more you talk about, focus on, or call a thousand people about a problem, that problem now “appears” bigger than what it was and doubt about God’s promises begin to form.
You and I must listen to that quiet inner voice of the Holy Spirit. The more we ignore that inner voice the smaller that voice becomes because in reality you do not want to hear it. You want what you want. It is so easy to listen to the loud voices and suggestions of the world. God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. Isaiah 55:11 says, “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
God’s timing is always perfect. He knows all the details. He knows our needs. He knows what is coming ahead. He has the best for you. He knows the sinful plans that were made against you behind your back. Trust Him.
Prayer: Heavenly Father please cleanse our hearts. Thank you for loving us enough to step in on our behalf when we are tempted to rush ahead. Lord, I pray that you speak to every heart that is worried, anxious, afraid, and/or does not have enough faith to trust you. May we look at GOD and remember our days past when He provided and made a way out of no way. We love you and praise your holy name, in the name of the Father, and in the name of the Son and in the name of the Holy Spirit we pray. Amen.
GL