Dark times may tempt us to shift the blame on the nearest scapegoat. Whether it’s the health system, the schools, the doctors, the environment, someone has to bear the brunt. Yet God calls us to a greater response than bitterness or anger. He invites us to run to Him and turn our struggle over to the One who is able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ever ask or think. Believe me; He’s got this.
Habakkuk discovered he needed much more than mere optimism. Instead, he recalled God’s promises. He knew that though his circumstances were beyond his control, they were not beyond God’s.
God doesn’t care so much about eloquence as much as the content of my heart and mind. His Spirit ‘breaks through’ all barriers and carries my cares to the very throne of God where I find mercy and healing. This is the wonder of grace.
Matthew 12 tells us a tree is identified by its fruit. In the same way, what is in our hearts and minds determine what we say. If we fill our hearts and minds with rubbish, rubbish will come out of our mouths. But if our hearts and minds are filled with the Holy Spirit and God’s Word, our speech is more likely to be pleasing to Him and to those around us.
From a tactical standpoint, Jonathan’s move wasn’t all that smart. Two men versus twenty. But Jonathan knew that with God on their side, headcounts were irrelevant.
At some point, we could all use a hiding place. I’m not talking about a physical place. I’m talking about a buffer between us and the ugliness of life. That buffer is Jesus.
To let God lead, I must surrender. I must release what I perceive as God’s plans for my life, trusting His plans for me are far greater. I must lay aside my expectations and embrace His ways. I must relinquish my assumptions about the future so I can cling to the One who holds the future.
What appears to be the end of the road may simply be a bend in the road – Robert H. Schuller
When we commit our day to God, we’re asking Him to walk with us and empower us. Our heavenly Father wants to share our heavy load, to have us lay before Him all that troubles us so he can equip us with His strength, His patience, His peace, His joy, and His grace.
Hebrews 12:1 reminds us that we also have a crowd of witnesses surrounding us. We aren’t alone in this race. On the sidelines, saints are pulling for us. Saints we know from the Bible, such as Abraham, Moses, and Joshua, along with loved ones who have gone before us.
