I’ve been struggling lately. Big time. I’ve picked up a second major, I’m not quite sure where I want to go in life, and most importantly, I haven’t felt like God has been around. There wasn’t any noticeable guidance or direction given to me in this season of change that’s happening. Worry and anxiety filled me. And to those who know me well, that isn’t the type of person I am or want to be, and so I’ve been hating every minute of the heavy-heartedness. Now by no means has this instantly faded away, nor has the imprint even been dulled to a normal degree. But taking a day to write, a day to wander, and a day to think has brought some clarity to my thoughts.
An oft overlooked part of God, is that he will never forget nor break his promises.
“He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations” (psalm 105:7-8).
With the thousands of promises made throughout the Bible, God will never go back on a single one of them. And that’s really one of the things I’ve let slip my mind for quite a while. When I’m praying or journaling or just being sad, I fail to remember that God keeps his word, and that his capacity for doing so will never diminish, no matter what each of us does to the contrary. And so when I don’t understand the supposed lack of holy direction in my life, this has to be one of the first thoughts I hold captive in my head. He does not go back on His word.
The next step would be to ask what some of those are. A good friend showed me this verse the other day, and it seemed important at the time, but in light of what I’ve recently been struck by, it becomes all the more important:
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (jeremiah 29:11).
He has it all figured out already. The plans made for me are not malicious, they aren’t meant for my downfall. The plans are for hope. At this time in life, when I’m struggling with which way I should be turning in terms of career paths and life in general, the Lord has already devised a path for me, one that brings a future of peace.
And so He has prepared it all for us. There is a wonderful road ahead, should we choose to journey on it. Then comes the part that I think all of us struggle with at some point or another. Giving up the control, giving up the five and ten year plans we (well, at least me) had in life. Something that I read at retreat has been weighing on me as of late, and it is one of the verses that I hope to never forget
“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday” (psalm 37:5-6).
He is the only person in the universe who is trustworthy one hundred percent of the time. He has planned out and promised a life of welfare, and a future of hope. He doesn’t break his promises. So where does that leave us? At commitment.
For me, relinquishing both my actions and my thoughts about what is best for me is incredibly tough. It will continue to be a challenge for me for who knows how long. But where there is great, overwhelming challenge, there is massive room for God to work in you. I'm not sure this process will ever end. And I'm not sure it should, either. There's always going to be one more thing that we can give to God, and more thoughts that we can commit to His ways. But through such an arduous process, He lets our righteousness shine forth, bright as light. And that is something to look forward to.
Despair gets you nowhere as I’ve found out recently. So lets venture on down the road God has made for us, find joy in the beauty of His creation, and take solace in the fact that we would want no one else but Him molding us and guiding our footsteps.
0 Kommentarer:
Post a Comment