Isaiah 43:1&5-7 - “Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name – you are Mine. Do not be afraid, for I am with you… I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth – everyone who is called by My name, whom I made for My glory, whom I formed and made.”
Thesaurus Fun:
Call – summon, invite, beckon, cry out to / label, identify, baptize
Made – created, shaped, prepared, completed
Called by Name
God calls to His own by name, and He calls us His. He says, “I know my sheep and they know Me. My sheep know My voice. I know them and they follow Me. I give them eternal life and they shall never die… No one can take them away from Me.” (John 10:14-15&27:29). It is an awesome thing to belong to God in this way! Since God has redeemed us and called us to Himself, there is nothing that we should fear, neither on this earth nor under the earth. For “God is my helper, why should I be afraid? What can a mere mortal do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6). “Do not fear the one who can kill the body, but afterward do nothing else to you, but fear God…” (Matthew 10:28). “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns?” (Romans 8:33-34). “There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God.” (Romans 8:39-39). We don’t ever need to fear the future, either in this life or the next. For in this life, nothing happens except God allows it and if He allows it, then He will bring good out of it as He has promised (Romans 8:218). And for the next life we have His promise of a home with Him in heaven if we belong to Him, if indeed we are His redeemed. He calls to Himself all who are His, no matter where they are, when they are, or who they are.
He calls us by His Name. He invites us into relationship with Him through His name as “God my Savior” and when we are His we are called, labeled, and identified by His name as those He has saved, as those who are His. He made us with His own hands and created us exactly as He wants us to be for His glory. You are not the result of random chance. You are not the product of your parents or your environment. These things may have been used by God, but He is the One who shapes you according to His design. Scripture says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalms 139:14-16).
Point to Ponder
What fears are you living with? Are you willing to place them in God’s hands?
May all His children pray, “Oh, Lord our God, thank You for making us Yours - for redeeming us by the death of Your Son on the cross. We are amazed at the way You love us and that You would call each of us by name. Help us to never be anxious or afraid, for you have called us to Yourself and nothing can keep us away. No matter where we have been, You draw us to You from the ends of the earth by the power of Your name. Lord, help us to be the people You have made us to be that we would shine for Your glory just as You have made us to. You are amazing, God, and we are humbled by Your mercy. To You be all glory in heaven and on earth, forever and ever more. Amen.”
See these songs: Call to Me, I Tremble at Your Voice
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Be Still – Psalm 46:10
Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be exalted in all the world.”
Thesaurus Fun:
Still – at rest, tranquil, quiet, calm
Know – recognize, realize, be aware, grasp, experience, remember
Be Still
Stillness in an important spiritual discipline that is practiced too little these days. Along with stillness is the discipline of silence, and these two go hand in hand. In our society, we have become obsessed with doing. We fill our lives with activity and noise so that it has become uncomfortable to be still (or worse, to sit in silence). But silence and stillness are still the best ways to hear God’s voice and to know His heart and will. How can you hear Him if you are always surrounded by noise? How will you find Him if you are always chasing after other things? To be still is to cease striving. This means not only resting from the mad dash we call life, but it also means that we are to still our heart and our mind which can be so often busy with worry. This is why God also says, “…and know that I am God.” In the midst of all your worry and anxiety, all your striving and stressing, stop everything and remember that He is God “in all the world” and He has everything in control. Scripture also says, “Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act.” (Psalm 37:7). Sometimes the things we think we need to do are really something that God has to do and we must learn to wait for Him to act.
Despite all the things that you think you need to do, (so many of them seeming so urgent) there is one thing more important than them all – spending time being still in God’s presence. Remember the story of Mary and Martha when Jesus came to visit. Martha was busy in the kitchen but Mary sat at Jesus’ feet. When Martha complained to Jesus about this He said, “Dear Martha, you concern yourself with so many things but there is one thing that is really important. Mary has chosen it and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:38-42). This does not mean that the things you do don’t need doing, but it does mean that it is not the most important thing you could be doing. When you slow down long enough to take time to focus on God, everything else comes into proper perspective and you will find at the end of the day that what really needed to be done has been done. So honor God by placing Him first in everything including your time and so let God be exalted in your world. Find God’s rest in stillness and silence and there find peace.
Point to Ponder
Are you more like Mary or Martha? Do you spend so much time doing stuff for God and others that you forget to simply be still in God’s presence? Think about everything you have to do today (or tomorrow) and find time (5-15 min.) that you can spend alone in silence waiting on God. Ask Him to just let you feel His presence and to guide you in the rest of your day.
We pray, “Our Father, we thank You for Your word, for it is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105), it guides our way. Lord, we are so glad that You are the sovereign God in control of everything so that we never need to be afraid of anything but we can rest in Your plan and in Your hands. God, You know how much we rush around every day – all the things that we try to get done. Help us to learn to be still. Help us to rest in You trusting in Your mighty power to accomplish what concerns us (Psalm 138:8). Show us when it is best for us to simply wait on You. Above all, may our lives honor You. May we remember that You are our God and we are the people You take care of, the sheep that You tend (Psalm 95:7). Thank You that You hear us and that You are near to us. Jesus, in the power of Your name we pray. Amen.”
See these songs: Standing Still for You, I Miss You*
Thesaurus Fun:
Still – at rest, tranquil, quiet, calm
Know – recognize, realize, be aware, grasp, experience, remember
Be Still
Stillness in an important spiritual discipline that is practiced too little these days. Along with stillness is the discipline of silence, and these two go hand in hand. In our society, we have become obsessed with doing. We fill our lives with activity and noise so that it has become uncomfortable to be still (or worse, to sit in silence). But silence and stillness are still the best ways to hear God’s voice and to know His heart and will. How can you hear Him if you are always surrounded by noise? How will you find Him if you are always chasing after other things? To be still is to cease striving. This means not only resting from the mad dash we call life, but it also means that we are to still our heart and our mind which can be so often busy with worry. This is why God also says, “…and know that I am God.” In the midst of all your worry and anxiety, all your striving and stressing, stop everything and remember that He is God “in all the world” and He has everything in control. Scripture also says, “Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act.” (Psalm 37:7). Sometimes the things we think we need to do are really something that God has to do and we must learn to wait for Him to act.
Despite all the things that you think you need to do, (so many of them seeming so urgent) there is one thing more important than them all – spending time being still in God’s presence. Remember the story of Mary and Martha when Jesus came to visit. Martha was busy in the kitchen but Mary sat at Jesus’ feet. When Martha complained to Jesus about this He said, “Dear Martha, you concern yourself with so many things but there is one thing that is really important. Mary has chosen it and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:38-42). This does not mean that the things you do don’t need doing, but it does mean that it is not the most important thing you could be doing. When you slow down long enough to take time to focus on God, everything else comes into proper perspective and you will find at the end of the day that what really needed to be done has been done. So honor God by placing Him first in everything including your time and so let God be exalted in your world. Find God’s rest in stillness and silence and there find peace.
Point to Ponder
Are you more like Mary or Martha? Do you spend so much time doing stuff for God and others that you forget to simply be still in God’s presence? Think about everything you have to do today (or tomorrow) and find time (5-15 min.) that you can spend alone in silence waiting on God. Ask Him to just let you feel His presence and to guide you in the rest of your day.
We pray, “Our Father, we thank You for Your word, for it is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105), it guides our way. Lord, we are so glad that You are the sovereign God in control of everything so that we never need to be afraid of anything but we can rest in Your plan and in Your hands. God, You know how much we rush around every day – all the things that we try to get done. Help us to learn to be still. Help us to rest in You trusting in Your mighty power to accomplish what concerns us (Psalm 138:8). Show us when it is best for us to simply wait on You. Above all, may our lives honor You. May we remember that You are our God and we are the people You take care of, the sheep that You tend (Psalm 95:7). Thank You that You hear us and that You are near to us. Jesus, in the power of Your name we pray. Amen.”
See these songs: Standing Still for You, I Miss You*
Offer Yourself to God – Romans 12:1
Romans 12:1 – “Therefore, I urge you in light of God’s mercy to offer yourself to God as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – for this is genuine worship.”
Thesaurus Fun:
Offer – give, present, submit
Worship – adoration, love, reverence, respect, devotion
Be a Living Sacrifice
God has done so much for us. He has removed our sin far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12), He has given us a new heart of flesh and blood (Ezekiel 11:19 ), He has given us a new nature (Colossians 3:10), and thereby made us a new creation altogether - in Him (2 Cor. 5:17). He has restored us into a relationship with Him and has given us genuine and lasting life by giving us Himself. How can we respond to such love and mercy and grace? By offering ourselves back to Him – completely, wholeheartedly, and unreservedly; to be as Scripture says, “a living sacrifice.” Let’s look at two kinds of sacrifice in the old testament. First, there was the sacrifice for sin, which was to be a bull, goat, or lamb with nothing wrong with it (Leviticus 4). It had to be perfect. This sacrifice is representative of Jesus who is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). He was the only possible sacrifice to truly cleanse us of our sins. We cannot offer ourselves for this, but we must depend entirely on Jesus Christ to cleanse us and make us acceptable to God.
The other kind of sacrifice presented was a fellowship offering. This offering was firstly an animal of the same sort as the sacrifice for sin, but added to it was an offering of leavened and unleavened (without yeast) bread mixed with olive oil (which represents anointing for service and dedication). Throughout Scripture, God’s people are often referred to as wheat or some other grain (Matthew 13:24-30&36-43, Luke 3:17). Jesus is “the bread of Life” (John 6:35&48), so this could represent that we come to God in fellowship through Christ’s sacrifice (as the lamb) and by offering ourselves (the grain or wheat) in and through Christ (the bread). Therefore, we are to offer ourselves in fellowship and service to God out of thanksgiving and as the most genuine kind of worship possible.
These days, we tend to think of worship as certain kinds of songs we sing and certain emotions that we might feel. These things have their place, but if they are not accompanied by true submission to God and an offering of the entire person to be used in God’s service and for His glory, then any other supposed “worship” is empty and therefore is not holy or pleasing to God. As Scripture says, “These people honor Me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me. (Isaiah 29:13)”. We must offer ourselves to God out of love and devotion toward God because of His love and mercy toward us. We are to offer ourselves to God out of reverence and respect for God because He is the One true God, almighty and sovereign. In view of these things, how can we do other than give ourselves entirely to God? Any time someone serves or follows God any less than whole heartedly, it is because they do not see God rightly. He deserves all that we can give because of what He does for us (in salvation and other daily mercies, and in the sufficiency of His grace in so many ways that we may not even be aware of) and because of who He is (a God of love and grace, mercy and kindness, justice and power, holy and clothed with majesty and glory.).
Point to Ponder
How much of yourself do you offer to God on a daily basis for His service and glory? Do you realize that you can (and should) be doing this with every part of your life and not simply the “religious” parts? As Scripture says, “do everything to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31)”. Are you ready to offer more or even all of your life to God to be used by Him every minute of every day? If not, do you think that it might be that you lack a clear and true vision of who God is and what He does for His children?
Try reading these passages: Romans 5:8, Matthew 1:21, Colossians 1:14, Genesis 1:1&14:2, Isaiah. 4:5, Deuteronomy 7:8
May we pray, “God, our heavenly Father, thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace that You show us. Lord, help us to remember, keep in mind, and see clearly all that You do for us, through us, and in us. Reveal to us Your holiness, glory, and power that we would be in awe of You. As You reveal Yourself to us, move our hearts with worship, adoration, devotion, and reverence. Help us see how right and good it is to offer all of ourselves and our lives to You. Help us to completely surrender to You, holding nothing back. Help us to live only for You and Your glory every day even if we don’t see it at the time. May this be our constant prayer: ‘God, live though me for Your glory every moment of every day for the rest of my life.’. Thus, may everything we do be an act of worship that is holy and pleasing to You. We thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, through whom we have been reconciled to You (2 Cor. 5:18) – having been cleansed from our sins and having received a new nature – and by whom we now enter into fellowship with You by His sacrifice and by offering ourselves as a sacrifice that lives and yet is fully consecrated and devoted to You. Thank You for being who You are. To You be all glory and honor, dominion and power, now and forever! Amen.”
See these songs: Creator Redeemer, An Offering to You
Thesaurus Fun:
Offer – give, present, submit
Worship – adoration, love, reverence, respect, devotion
Be a Living Sacrifice
God has done so much for us. He has removed our sin far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12), He has given us a new heart of flesh and blood (Ezekiel 11:19 ), He has given us a new nature (Colossians 3:10), and thereby made us a new creation altogether - in Him (2 Cor. 5:17). He has restored us into a relationship with Him and has given us genuine and lasting life by giving us Himself. How can we respond to such love and mercy and grace? By offering ourselves back to Him – completely, wholeheartedly, and unreservedly; to be as Scripture says, “a living sacrifice.” Let’s look at two kinds of sacrifice in the old testament. First, there was the sacrifice for sin, which was to be a bull, goat, or lamb with nothing wrong with it (Leviticus 4). It had to be perfect. This sacrifice is representative of Jesus who is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). He was the only possible sacrifice to truly cleanse us of our sins. We cannot offer ourselves for this, but we must depend entirely on Jesus Christ to cleanse us and make us acceptable to God.
The other kind of sacrifice presented was a fellowship offering. This offering was firstly an animal of the same sort as the sacrifice for sin, but added to it was an offering of leavened and unleavened (without yeast) bread mixed with olive oil (which represents anointing for service and dedication). Throughout Scripture, God’s people are often referred to as wheat or some other grain (Matthew 13:24-30&36-43, Luke 3:17). Jesus is “the bread of Life” (John 6:35&48), so this could represent that we come to God in fellowship through Christ’s sacrifice (as the lamb) and by offering ourselves (the grain or wheat) in and through Christ (the bread). Therefore, we are to offer ourselves in fellowship and service to God out of thanksgiving and as the most genuine kind of worship possible.
These days, we tend to think of worship as certain kinds of songs we sing and certain emotions that we might feel. These things have their place, but if they are not accompanied by true submission to God and an offering of the entire person to be used in God’s service and for His glory, then any other supposed “worship” is empty and therefore is not holy or pleasing to God. As Scripture says, “These people honor Me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me. (Isaiah 29:13)”. We must offer ourselves to God out of love and devotion toward God because of His love and mercy toward us. We are to offer ourselves to God out of reverence and respect for God because He is the One true God, almighty and sovereign. In view of these things, how can we do other than give ourselves entirely to God? Any time someone serves or follows God any less than whole heartedly, it is because they do not see God rightly. He deserves all that we can give because of what He does for us (in salvation and other daily mercies, and in the sufficiency of His grace in so many ways that we may not even be aware of) and because of who He is (a God of love and grace, mercy and kindness, justice and power, holy and clothed with majesty and glory.).
Point to Ponder
How much of yourself do you offer to God on a daily basis for His service and glory? Do you realize that you can (and should) be doing this with every part of your life and not simply the “religious” parts? As Scripture says, “do everything to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31)”. Are you ready to offer more or even all of your life to God to be used by Him every minute of every day? If not, do you think that it might be that you lack a clear and true vision of who God is and what He does for His children?
Try reading these passages: Romans 5:8, Matthew 1:21, Colossians 1:14, Genesis 1:1&14:2, Isaiah. 4:5, Deuteronomy 7:8
May we pray, “God, our heavenly Father, thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace that You show us. Lord, help us to remember, keep in mind, and see clearly all that You do for us, through us, and in us. Reveal to us Your holiness, glory, and power that we would be in awe of You. As You reveal Yourself to us, move our hearts with worship, adoration, devotion, and reverence. Help us see how right and good it is to offer all of ourselves and our lives to You. Help us to completely surrender to You, holding nothing back. Help us to live only for You and Your glory every day even if we don’t see it at the time. May this be our constant prayer: ‘God, live though me for Your glory every moment of every day for the rest of my life.’. Thus, may everything we do be an act of worship that is holy and pleasing to You. We thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, through whom we have been reconciled to You (2 Cor. 5:18) – having been cleansed from our sins and having received a new nature – and by whom we now enter into fellowship with You by His sacrifice and by offering ourselves as a sacrifice that lives and yet is fully consecrated and devoted to You. Thank You for being who You are. To You be all glory and honor, dominion and power, now and forever! Amen.”
See these songs: Creator Redeemer, An Offering to You
Live by the Spirit not Human Effort – Galatians 3:3
Galatians 3:3 – “How ridiculous is this?! After starting your Christian lives in and by the Holy Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?”
Thesaurus Fun:
Effort – exertion, struggle, striving, force, sweat, labor, work, attempt
Ridiculous – ludicrous, absurd, silly, unreasonable, outrageous, foolish, stupid
Live by the Spirit
We all fall into this error at one time or another in some way or other. It may not be as obvious as those believers here addressed who were trying to add the works of the law to their salvation, but we still try to do some things on our own (without God). We start out following the leading of God’s Spirit be it in prayer, study, or any of the disciplines and also in witnessing and positions of leadership. God calls us to something and we begin knowing that we must rely on Him to guide us and to strengthen us for we can do nothing without Him (John 15:5). But somewhere along the way, what was new and uncertain becomes routine and we begin to think that we can do it on our own. No longer do we rely on God or ask for His help, we begin to rely on human strength and human wisdom to accomplish what we have been called to. Then sooner or later, our strength runs out and all the human wisdom of the world fails us and we are left disappointed. We find ourselves exerting all our effort and getting nowhere except backwards. So why do we start to rely on our own strength like this knowing that it must be done in His? Perhaps it is that we know that God is unpredictable. He usually leads us out on a limb or tells us to simply wait, and in general we don’t like either option. So we make our own plans and ask God to bless them, no longer genuinely seeking direction from Him. Perhaps, deep down inside us, we want to feel like it is our accomplishment if we succeed (of course if we don’t, then it’s “God’s fault”). There is a certain level of pride living in all of us and once we have traveled a while down the path of God’s calling, we begin to think that we know what’s coming next and we let go of God’s hand saying in effect “I got this” so that we can be doing something “for” God instead of “with” God.
We can recognize this attitude by asking ourselves, “If this works out, who gets the glory? Me or God?” or we could ask, “Am I doing any of this by faith? Or is it by sight?” (2nd Cor. 5:7). If you are exhausting yourself, as you think, in “God’s service”, more than likely, you are trying to do it in your own strength which will never be enough. Think for a moment about what that little word “effort” really means - exertion, struggle, force, labor, sweat, - no wonder you wind up exhausted! It is this that the writer here calls “ridiculous” - absurd, silly, stupid! Why? Because all that effort – all that striving – is not only unnecessary but it is counterproductive! It won’t get you where you want to go and keeps you from what will. “How ridiculous is this?!”
The first step in getting back on track is learning how to wait on God. Scripture says, “Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength…” (Isaiah 40:31). Waiting is difficult for most of us these days. There is very little patience in modern society, waiting always feels like a waste of time. But time is exactly the point; that is, it’s all about timing. When it comes to doing things God’s way, timing is everything and, of course, God is always busy in the meantime, shaping us and bring things into line. So wait on God, linger in His presence, and let His love fill you with peace and joy and strength.
The second step is to remind yourself that God knows what He’s doing and the best way to do it and has the best ends in mind even if nothing makes sense at the time. Therefore, remembering this, genuinely and consistently seek God’s will in everything you do and then do it, even if it flies in the face of all supposed “human wisdom”.
The last and most important step is this: ask for God’s help. Ask Him to help you learn how to wait on Him. Ask Him to help you truly want His will in your life and to help you follow Him. Ask Him for patience and courage and strength. Ask God for His wisdom and discernment, that you might see when you begin to rely on your own strength again. You can be sure that God will gladly answer such prayers. As Scripture says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to everyone without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5).
Point to Ponder: Can you see any area of your life where you have been doing God's work in your own strength? How is that working for you?
And so we pray, “Sovereign God; our fortress, our rock, and our strength – thank You that we can come to You for all our needs. Thank You for drawing us to You and for putting a call on our life to use us in this world. Lord, You know the society we live in where independence and competence are exalted virtues and pride in one’s own accomplishments is encouraged. But God, we know that our ways are not Your ways nor are our thoughts Your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). Therefore, search us and know us, O God, reveal to us the wrong way in which we live and lead us in the right way (Psalm 139:23-24 ). Lord, we confess to You right now that we have tried to do things on our own (whether completely independent of Your will or in trying to follow Your will and call in our life). Help us to set aside human effort and human wisdom, and help us to seek to know and to follow Your will and direction only. Lord, give us patience to wait on You, courage to obey You, and wisdom to know the difference between Your directions and our own ideas. Help us throughout the rest of our lives to recognize when we have begun to rely on our own strength and help us to turn to You again. May we remember that everything is for Your glory and so may we live with that end in sight. We thank You that You hear us and answer us. Our Jesus, may Your name be praised in all the earth! Amen.”
Thesaurus Fun:
Effort – exertion, struggle, striving, force, sweat, labor, work, attempt
Ridiculous – ludicrous, absurd, silly, unreasonable, outrageous, foolish, stupid
Live by the Spirit
We all fall into this error at one time or another in some way or other. It may not be as obvious as those believers here addressed who were trying to add the works of the law to their salvation, but we still try to do some things on our own (without God). We start out following the leading of God’s Spirit be it in prayer, study, or any of the disciplines and also in witnessing and positions of leadership. God calls us to something and we begin knowing that we must rely on Him to guide us and to strengthen us for we can do nothing without Him (John 15:5). But somewhere along the way, what was new and uncertain becomes routine and we begin to think that we can do it on our own. No longer do we rely on God or ask for His help, we begin to rely on human strength and human wisdom to accomplish what we have been called to. Then sooner or later, our strength runs out and all the human wisdom of the world fails us and we are left disappointed. We find ourselves exerting all our effort and getting nowhere except backwards. So why do we start to rely on our own strength like this knowing that it must be done in His? Perhaps it is that we know that God is unpredictable. He usually leads us out on a limb or tells us to simply wait, and in general we don’t like either option. So we make our own plans and ask God to bless them, no longer genuinely seeking direction from Him. Perhaps, deep down inside us, we want to feel like it is our accomplishment if we succeed (of course if we don’t, then it’s “God’s fault”). There is a certain level of pride living in all of us and once we have traveled a while down the path of God’s calling, we begin to think that we know what’s coming next and we let go of God’s hand saying in effect “I got this” so that we can be doing something “for” God instead of “with” God.
We can recognize this attitude by asking ourselves, “If this works out, who gets the glory? Me or God?” or we could ask, “Am I doing any of this by faith? Or is it by sight?” (2nd Cor. 5:7). If you are exhausting yourself, as you think, in “God’s service”, more than likely, you are trying to do it in your own strength which will never be enough. Think for a moment about what that little word “effort” really means - exertion, struggle, force, labor, sweat, - no wonder you wind up exhausted! It is this that the writer here calls “ridiculous” - absurd, silly, stupid! Why? Because all that effort – all that striving – is not only unnecessary but it is counterproductive! It won’t get you where you want to go and keeps you from what will. “How ridiculous is this?!”
The first step in getting back on track is learning how to wait on God. Scripture says, “Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength…” (Isaiah 40:31). Waiting is difficult for most of us these days. There is very little patience in modern society, waiting always feels like a waste of time. But time is exactly the point; that is, it’s all about timing. When it comes to doing things God’s way, timing is everything and, of course, God is always busy in the meantime, shaping us and bring things into line. So wait on God, linger in His presence, and let His love fill you with peace and joy and strength.
The second step is to remind yourself that God knows what He’s doing and the best way to do it and has the best ends in mind even if nothing makes sense at the time. Therefore, remembering this, genuinely and consistently seek God’s will in everything you do and then do it, even if it flies in the face of all supposed “human wisdom”.
The last and most important step is this: ask for God’s help. Ask Him to help you learn how to wait on Him. Ask Him to help you truly want His will in your life and to help you follow Him. Ask Him for patience and courage and strength. Ask God for His wisdom and discernment, that you might see when you begin to rely on your own strength again. You can be sure that God will gladly answer such prayers. As Scripture says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to everyone without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5).
Point to Ponder: Can you see any area of your life where you have been doing God's work in your own strength? How is that working for you?
And so we pray, “Sovereign God; our fortress, our rock, and our strength – thank You that we can come to You for all our needs. Thank You for drawing us to You and for putting a call on our life to use us in this world. Lord, You know the society we live in where independence and competence are exalted virtues and pride in one’s own accomplishments is encouraged. But God, we know that our ways are not Your ways nor are our thoughts Your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). Therefore, search us and know us, O God, reveal to us the wrong way in which we live and lead us in the right way (Psalm 139:23-24 ). Lord, we confess to You right now that we have tried to do things on our own (whether completely independent of Your will or in trying to follow Your will and call in our life). Help us to set aside human effort and human wisdom, and help us to seek to know and to follow Your will and direction only. Lord, give us patience to wait on You, courage to obey You, and wisdom to know the difference between Your directions and our own ideas. Help us throughout the rest of our lives to recognize when we have begun to rely on our own strength and help us to turn to You again. May we remember that everything is for Your glory and so may we live with that end in sight. We thank You that You hear us and answer us. Our Jesus, may Your name be praised in all the earth! Amen.”
See these songs: I Give Up, I Will Rest (I Come to You), Let it Pour Out
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