“For
I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah
29:11
Thoughts~
Oh, Lord, I thought, not again! Not another situation
like the one I experienced three years ago. Why again? Why*Why*Why do I need to go through this
again? It’s just going to add stress to my life, I tell the Lord.
Trust in Me, I hear in my heart. Trust no matter what because
I have a plan for you. Do not give up or give in. Lean on Me. My plan is going
to bring you to the place I want you.
And so, once more, I turn it all over to my God who loves
me with all of His heart. My God, who wants me to have hope and a future. Who does
not want to harm me, but strengthen me for His glory. I already understand that
prosperity does not necessarily mean finances; it can mean He will prosper me
in relationships, ministry and in other ways. And so I shall wait again on Him.
Do you think that while any of the great Biblical heroes,
apostles, or even more modern day scholars or teachers, were going through
tough times they knew the outcome that they would one day share with all of us?
Not at all. That is what faithfulness is all about. For example, Job had no
idea how God’s plans for him would restore his life two fold when he was
sitting in the dark with dozens of losses, unfaithful friends and sores all
over his body. And yet, in God’s faithfulness, He brought Job blessings beyond
belief as part of His plan.
To get a grasp on what Job endured, read the account in
the Message version . . . it’s easy reading like a novel. This is a link to the
first chapter and you can go on from there.
To this day, we all look at Job as a man of faith no
matter what was going on in his life. It’s not that Job did not question God:
he did. But throughout his season of darkness, he continued to believe that God
was God and his faith remained intact. Oh how I admire Job!
It is not for us to understand the trials and sorrows
that come our way right this minute. Our life journal has pages that are filled
with our personal history. The rest of the pages are completely blank, to be
written in later. Once they are filled in, we will look back and say something
like “WOW, did God ever use that situation in my life to draw me closer to Him.
He sure had a perfect plan for me.” When we are going through a dark time, it’s
wise to simply trust God more than we fear the circumstance. He will reward you
for your faithfulness.
We are exactly where God wants us today or He would be
moving us in another direction through the promptings of the Holy Spirit. It is
important to “Trust
in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding but in
all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”
(Proverbs 3:5-6). God’s plans for you are so much better than any you would
create in your dreams because they will bring sweet spiritual fulfillment. Joy
will flood your heart when you wait on God to move you from one situation to
the next because His plans are perfect plans. The best plans. Plans worth
waiting for.
Action~
An exercise in learning to trust God is to get a little
notebook and on the left hand page, list your dilemma. Only one dilemma per page. On the right hand
side, write "God's plan for the situation" but leave it blank until the situation changes. Write about it, how God
answered prayer, moved you from point A to B or Z, and anything that is
important in the process.
By re-reading your pages when you are in a dark time,
you will see the enemy of God is lying to you when you start to think that God
has forgotten you this time. He will never ever EVER forget you. You are the
apple of His eye.
Pray~
Thank You Lord for showing me that You are in charge
and that I can trust You and lean on You completely. Help me with my patience
level and forgive my tendency to want to rush You. I know Your plans are
perfectly designed with me in mind.
Trusting in Him,
Becky
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