In our intellectual and humanistic world, we have become very facts oriented. Many of us believe that to be responsible, we need to gather all the facts before we can make a good decision. Obviously, it would be irresponsible for us to ignore the facts or act like they do not exist.
There is wisdom in considering the facts and slowing down before we make a decision. It is also important not to be presumptuous and not try to make something happen. However, trusting God should take us to a level beyond the facts and move us to the plane of faith. If we only relied on facts, there would be no need to exercise our faith in any given situation.
When Jesus told His disciples to feed the multitudes, His statement appeared unreasonable to them (See Mark 6:30-44). Sometimes trusting in God looks unreasonable and foolish.
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” I Corinthians 1:19 (NIV)
The Lord gave me this scripture years ago when I was dating my husband, and I was trying to figure out if he was the right man for me to marry. Because of my past mistakes and pain, I was trying to gather all my information and weigh those facts to determine if he was the right person. However, I could not reach a conclusion based on my understanding. I was relying on my wisdom rather than relying on the Lord and trusting Him. Finally, I had to give up and release the relationship into the Lord’s hands. I asked the Lord to just show me what He wanted me to do. His direction did not come right away, and I had to wait for quite a while. However, when it did, the Lord did not answer all my questions, I just knew that the Lord had permitted me to move forward and trust Him in the process.
If you are frustrated with an area of your life and you don’t seem to find the answers, it may be that you have been trying to solve the problem in your own effort. Sometimes, the best we can do is to release the situation into the Lord’s hands, and then stop focusing on the issue. Give Him time to work on it, and when doubt and uncertainty knock on our door, we need to remind ourselves that we have already surrendered this situation to the Lord.
If we truly remain open to the Lord’s leading, in due time, He will show us what we need to do. Our waiting is not a waste of time because He is always working something out in several different dimensions that we may not be aware of. Instead of getting frustrated or impatient with God, it is always worth it to trust Him and wait on Him to give us direction. He is faithful, and He will direct us in due time!
Please leave comments below.
I love this series. I find that I let my problem go but then I pick them
back up and try to figure it out again. My mind says.. Maybe if I am more obedient or fast more God will move.. it’s a balance between doing my part and allowing Him to do His. Thank you for your wisdom. I love your devotionals.
Praise God! Thank you Jessica. Yes, it is always a challenge to know if there is more that we should do. A lot depends on our personality and if we have tendency to make things happen or we have a tendency to just sit back and not do anything. As you stated, it is a balance between God’s part and what He instructs us to do. Thanks for sharing.
This is a great read!!!! And it’s right on time. I love how God will confirm His word so we will calm down. Thank you for your weekly word.
Praise God! Thanks Charlotte for sharing. It is encouraging to know that it is a timely word.