“Come to Me, all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder My yoke and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls! Yes, My yoke is easy and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
There are times when life just doesn’t go according to our plans. Life can take a detour that we weren’t expecting and throw our nice little world into chaos, fear, and anxiety. We go along thinking we are doing ok and then suddenly we run into a crisis. The cause of crisis has many sources. It could be financial, we get a devastating medical diagnosis, an unexpected divorce, the list could go on and on. These “burdens” can keep our minds running twenty-four seven! Thinking, thinking and thinking some more.
It is at this time when our faith is really put to the test. Do you believe Me? Do you trust Me? These are the questions the Lord is asking today. Your mind can lie to you and convince you that “oh yes, I BELIEVE!” But look at your decisions. Are they based in faith that He actually WILL help you?
I left my job a few months ago due to a medical problem. At the time, I had a good cushion of money. I went to all the Temporary Staffing agencies in the area as I wanted to work part-time assignments to supplement my income until I got my home business established. A very nice, compartmentalized little plan I had in my head. My phone remained silent. I got a whole four hours of work in November and nothing until January where I got a week and a day. Before I knew it, my cushion of money was gone and I had no prospects. I have a part-time job that pays my house note but everything else depends on my other income streams.
As the money ran dry and I began to work this plan and that plan, I did not realize that I was not trusting God to meet my needs. I was trying to “help” Him out and all I have done is gone further into debt. So last night in church a word came through my pastor that I must rest in Him during this time. I didn’t quite understand what He meant by resting, so here I am doing a word study on RESTING IN GOD.
He actually asked me last night through this word “DO YOU BELIEVE ME?” I realized that no, I did not believe He would do anything because I was scared He would not do it. I just don’t see HOW He can. How many of you know that God’s ways are a lot higher than ours? It was in this place just a little while ago, I came to realize that when Jesus said “come to Me and I will give you rest” that the rest He is referring to is the place of faith. Faith trusts. Faith believes God. Faith is confident in His abilities and His willingness to help and deliver! I’ve got almost six hundred posts out here on this blog and here I am struggling with faith!
When your back is against the wall with no way out, it is HARD to believe in something you can’t see! It’s like the children of Israel at the Red Sea. They were facing certain death by drowning if they tried to swim across that sea and an angry Pharoah and his army charging down from the other direction. If God didn’t do something they would surely have died right there. He did, He literally parted the Red Sea and they walked across on dry land.
So I repented and asked Him to forgive me for not believing and trusting Him. I made my decision to let go of MY plans and trust Him to work HIS plans on my behalf. I feel lighter already! I just got a phone call from a relative who said they are going to help me consolidate at least two of my debts into one lower monthly note! This is huge! A savings of almost three hundred dollars a month! This is a WOW moment for me. No sooner did I let go than He showed up with a solution! Thank You, Jesus!
Perhaps this whole journey has been used by God to bring me to His rest. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty!” What is resting in God? It is letting go of the problem because He knows the path out. It is trusting that He WANTS and is actually going to DO it for you. But how can you trust someone you can’t see? You can trust Him if you have a personal and intimate relationship with Him. When you know someone intimately, you trust them. Believe me, God is well able to make His presence known to His children.
I do know Him personally and intimately and it was still difficult to grasp His help in an impossible situation. If you don’t know Him, I’m sure it’s even more difficult but you can know Him today. His friendship is immediate and life-changing!
Don’t know Him?
Blessings everyone…
From the Heart of God... 