"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: 'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, ' No we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee! You said, 'we will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore your pursuers will be swift! A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.' Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for Him." [Reference Isaiah 30:15-18.] "In quietness and trust is your strength." If we wait in silence to hear the Lord, to hear His plan, to feel His love. If we believe He is love, if we believe He is gracious, then we have strength. In our act of transparency He is there to protect and empower us. But so often we "flee." We think we know what is best for us, and our human nature leads us to make our own decisions and formulate our own plans. But little do we know, our decisions enlighten the enemy, they empower the enemy, and lead the enemy to us. But we can find refuge in the One who "longs to be gracious to us" the One who aches to "show us compassion" the One who is just. So if we wait for Him, if we wait on His plan, and trust in His plan we will be led by the omnipotent, loving, compassionate, just, and gracious Lord and through our trust and surrender He wants to bless.
"So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret [mysteries] of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." [1 Corinthians 4:1-2.] We who call ourselves Christians. We who call ourselves Christ-followers, lovers of the Lord, and faithful must prove the depth of our faith. We have been granted the "mysteries" of the Lord, we have been granted the promises to which we must share with all mankind. But if we call ourselves Christ-followers and stewards of His gospel we must prove to be faithful. The definition of faithful is as follows: 1. strict or thorough in the performance of duty, 2. true to one's word, promises, vows, 3. steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant. In order to prove ourselves faithful we must trust and believe in what we have pledged our allegiances to. We must be "thorough in the performance of duty". How cool is that? When I heard "duty" I think of the military, of people surrendering their lives for the good of the country, for a cause they believe in. Our lives as Christians, as stewards is our "duty". We need to surrender to the cause the we believe in, and take up our roles in the line of duty to prove ourselves faithful.
The fact is, having 100% trust in the Lord is extremely difficult. But when we wholly surrender to the Lord, and when we prove we are His faithful stewards[Reference: 1 Corinthians 4:1-2.], He desires to reward our surrender, our trust, and faith and empower us to be strong and courageous and continue with great hope[Reference: Isaiah 30:15-18.]
Thank you for letting me be vulnerable. Everyday we wake up and it's a whole new day of surrendering our emotions, our pain, our happiness and success. Some days it's not as easy as others, and some days it's never been more rewarding. But I can guarantee you, if you surrender to the Lord on the days where it's not easy, on the days where you want to take full control, that's where we are made strong, that's when God can empower us, and mold us into His beautiful pottery.
On the days where it's not as easy to surrender, because of struggles or our own thoughts and desires, I tend to walk downstairs and turn on my music really loud, so even the neighbors can hear, and sit on the couch and listen to the lyrics. I sit with my bible and notebook and wait for the tears. Today it was a song I'd heard dozens of times before that got me, "Jesus, Your name is power, breath, and living water; such a marvelous mystery." [Revelation Song by Kari Jobe. I sat there and wondered How can I not trust in Him? How can I not trust in the One who is power, breath and living water? How can I sit here and worry and wish I was somewhere I cannot possibly be when I am temple to the One who is power, breath and living water? That's where I was lost, that's where I found myself surrendering today.
Thank you to a God who aches to be compassionate to us.
:)
James 4:2 -- Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
