I watched the proverbial sunrise coming up over the Pacific.
Story: Zach Brown
Trusting and having faith. Two things that I do not do very well. Well I thought I did them halfway decently until here recently.
Turns out I have faith and trust in God for a short little while, then I decide I need to get my crap together and do it myself. I have to go do something. If I waste time and don’t go, and work hard, then am I being a good follower of who Jesus wants me to be?
Don’t get me wrong; I trust Him and have faith in Him. But when things begin to look bleak or I feel nothing is happening, then it’s go time! I know myself. I know that I can get things done and try to make everything that I think is best or will work out for me done ASAP. Instead of just stopping and waiting. Instead of just realizing that God is I AM. He was in my past, He is here in my present, and He is leading me and will be with me in my future.
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. — Psalms 16:11
I know this. In my mind I know this. Granted I forget it ever so frequently. So why do I not feel this? Why have I not engrained that in my life?
I firmly believe that hindsight is 20/20 or whatever the clearest eyesight can be. Take time to stop and reflect back over the past 6 months. The past year. The past 5 years. Can you see God in that? Can you see how He is loving and pursuing you?
I don’t do this as often as I should as a reminder. I should probably do it everyday to be honest. We share our stories with each other here in Portland so we can begin to know each other, and care even more deeply. At the end we stop and speak the Gospel back into each others life. We say where we see God at work in each of our stories.
Almost unanimously when it was my turn, everyone said they could see God in the details. How sovereign He is to lead me here. This isn’t to brag about that or say check that out. It’s to say that I am foolish. I can’t even see God’s faithfulness throughout my story. I have my eyes wide shut. I need to open them. We need to open our eyes. God is faithful even when we are faithless.
The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful for he cannot deny himself. — 2 Timothy 2:11–13
Insert random artsy picture that has nothing to do with what I am talking about to break up the monotony.
So I ask for help. I ask for humilty.
I need these things in order to trust and have faith that God is in control of my life. In order to follow Him whole heartedly, no matter where He may take me. Whether it be Portland, Johnson City, Hickory, or even Sweden. I ask and hope and pray that I am open and willing to follow.
Not only because He is good, or I hope that something exciting may happen to me, or because it is a cool place to go. No, I hope to follow because I have faith in who God says He is. I hope to follow because I know that I can ultimately trust Him with everything in my life.
I hope that you do the same. I hope that Jesus is so good, and your trust is so firmly planted in Him, that you go wherever He leads. That you know He is faithful to provide and love and care for you, more than you can even realize.
