I think one of the biggest myths we face as Christians is that if God brings you to a big decision, a big change, a big life event, you will have peace about it. That's simply not true, and it's definitely not biblical. Anyone who has made a big life change can tell you that there are always second thoughts, doubts, concerns... At times our choices may seem clear and you may be blessed with an overwhelming peace about it (and I pray this for you, friend) but 9 times out of 10, that isn't how it seems to go down. I have moved away from home twice now - to places very far away. These were decisions I knew would permanently change my life and would temporarily shift everything I knew. I have ended a relationship I thought would last forever because I felt God nudging me to, because it was not providing me with a life that glorified God. These were big choices I had to make, and even though I felt God's call in them, they still required tremendous amounts of courage. In fact, sometimes I fought The Nudge for months, other times I mourned the life I left behind, and still others I spontaneously burst into tears as I could feel my life changing completely - leaving behind people and places I love, and a future I had imagined for myself. After I made these decisions my heart required months (see: years) to heal, regrets reared their ugly head, and my faith was shaken. I asked myself, and now that I am on the verge of making yet another life-changing choice I ask myself again, If this is what God wants, shouldn't I have peace about it? Filled with guilt for "a lack-of-trust," and doubts of my ability to hear God's call, I turn to the Words I know are from God and the people He chose to tell them - our biblical heroes. Though I long to be like Mary, I find myself often like Moses. While Mary was quick to obey and accept God's call for her life, Moses was slightly more hesitant, and I love that he was. I love that God chose to use him anyways, because it means God chooses to use me anyways. When God spoke to Moses through a burning bush, Moses was afraid - and understandably so (can you even imagine)! He was afraid of God (Exodus 3:6), and he was afraid of what God was calling him to do - doubting himself, doubting God's choice to use him, and fearful of the outcome (Exodus 3:11-13). Sound familiar? I love one other thing about this story - I love the promise God makes Moses. While Moses was fearful and doubting, he asks God, "Why? What makes you think I can do this?" (Does this also sound familiar?). To that the Lord responds in the most beautiful of ways, "I will be with you." (Exodus 3:12) The God of the universe, the great I Am, promised a fearful human that He will be with Him. He makes this promise to us also. His story is not unique - his story is the story of countless others that made a big change in the bible, and his story is my story. His story is probably also your story. It's understandable to fear the future, to fear the consequences of your choice. It's even understandable to have some second thoughts and doubts - you don't need to feel guilty about that. Change is scary. Change is stressful. God knows that; He knows, and He listens. He longs to comfort you and remind you that He is worth the pain the change may cause. He longs to remind you that His plans are greater and His timing is perfect. He longs for you to trust Him. He longs to show His power in your life and use your obedience for His glory. We are human, He is God. Change is scary, and often painful, but He is good, perfect in all of His ways. If you fear change, be brave. Take comfort in those that have come before you that were also scared but had courage to change anyways. Look at stories like Moses, or Abraham who was willing to sacrifice his son but not without sadness - our biblical heroes. Go to God in prayer. Is this change what He wants for your life? Be brave if it is, and be brave if it isn't. Either way, His plan is perfect and His ways are good.
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Repeatedly Peter says, "turn to God," and your sins will be forgiven; you will receive showers of blessings.
Lord, I know that You are always faithful - help me turn to You so I can see it. Lord, teach my eyes to rise to You when temptation comes my way. When I cannot stand, I'll fall on You. Jesus, You're my hope and stay. Father, thank You. Thank You for another day to be alive; may I serve You in it. God, only You are the hope of this nation. Forgive me for ever thinking otherwise. If I had a million dollars to make a bet on a singular truth that would apply to all people, it would be this: We are all waiting on something.
Sometimes we are waiting on another person, or for our circumstances to change. We are waiting to accomplish something that we think will improve our lives, be it to find a job, to find a relationship, to get engaged, whatever. We are a waiting people. Having been in a season of waiting for months now, I've realized something. I see now that I know how to trust God when the answer is "yes," and even when the answer is "no," but learning to trust when the answer is "not yet"... that's a whole new ballgame. When God's answer is yes, the leap of faith can be scary but there is an overwhelming peace in your decision because you know the Lord has good things planned for you. When the answer is no, there is often an immense amount of sadness, but there is comfort and hope because you know the Lord has better things for you. Where does the knowledge of these truths go when the answer is "not yet," or "wait"? When the answer is neither yes nor no, it can be hard to believe there even is an answer. We can easily fall into the lie that God is not listening to us, that He has left us to do it ourselves, and that we must actually do it ourselves. So we try to do it ourselves. We must not try to do it ourselves. No, faith in waiting takes serious strength. It takes strength to wake up every day and keep working for something that you do not know is coming or when. It takes strength to put a smile on your face when people ask you about it and admit that you have yet to reach your goal. It takes strength to let go of the picture you had in your mind about the life you imagined to make room for God's instead. Because that's the thing - sometimes we wait, but we do not know what we are waiting for. We only know the promises God made, and yet we are so quick to forget His goodness. Though the Lord promised He has good plans for us, when we do not see them right away we can start making them ourselves - we start dating without going to God in prayer first, we take jobs that don't feel right, or maybe we just lose hope. But God has promised good things for us! He has promised us blessings and faithfulness. He has promised to never leave us! Sure, maybe he hasn't promised a specific partner or spouse or job or city or opportunity etc. It can be so hard to let our desires for those go, but we can knowing that His plan is so much greater than ours. Because He is God - and He is fully in control with a promise of goodness! I do not know why God makes us wait sometimes, but I do know that He can be glorified in the process and He WILL be glorified in the result. When we wait, our hearts break. Seasons of waiting need to be seasons of depending fully on God; we recognize our inability to control our lives and our immense need for the God that is in control of the universe. We recognize that even our best laid plans fall through but we serve a faithful, never-changing God whose plan always prevails. We understand that the thing we want is not what God wants for us, and we learn to be okay with that because He wants only good things for us. As we wait and lean fully on Him, we grow in our trust, in our faith, in our obedience, and He strengthens our hearts as He pulls us close. So, friends, if you are also in a season of waiting - take heart. It's hard now, but you are not alone, not forgotten, not forsaken. Look around - how can you serve God with what you have where you are while you wait? How can your waiting be used to glorify God, to bring you closer to Him? Reflect - are you leaning fully on Him, or are you trying to take matters into your own hands? God requires us to act, but He requires us to do so faithfully in obedience. Being content in waiting does not mean being lazy or naive - it means fully surrendering to God's will, and passionately pursuing what He has for us. When we are open to His direction, He opens doors - I fully believe that. Someone once told me, "our circumstances are not a surprise to Him." Take comfort in that, friends, as you wait. And find strength in your surrender - there is so much peace and so much passion in a full surrender. "Surrender takes a huge amount of control, of personal responsibility. It's not ignoring, or glossing over, or being naive. Surrender is a way to hold the tension between what you can do and what you can't do. It's to ask God the question, 'what's next?' and rather than waiting for an answer to drop out of the sky, live into the answer with our hands and feet and hearts." Lizzy Milani |
AuthorHello! I'm Becca -humanitarian, caffeine addict, lover of books, people, and all things Jesus. You can find me in my pajamas, day dreaming about rainy days and saving the world. Archives
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