I am a numbers nerd. I am goal-oriented. I am someone who tries to find the results and answers to things that make my head spin. It may be just human nature to find the answers, or it could be a mix of that and the tenacity God has blessed me with. Even so, I think this is why God has been taking me through a season of relying on His provision verses from my own natural resources (which dries out at some point!).
How many of you see something—a dream—but instead of laying that dream down at the feet of Jesus and having faith in the Creator, you end up running the numbers, taking control of the situation, or realizing that the dream is simply impossible? Worse still, you take that dream by the reigns and state that unless you do something about it, than it will never happen in the timing you want it to.
I have been striving to attain a dream that is not in the perfect timing of the Father. I have hit walls, grown frustrated, literally gone into the cycle of insanity over and over again, only to come up with the same conclusion: “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NIV). Why does it seem like the last option I choose is the place I always end up, at the feet of Jesus?
I know, I’m making myself out like the bad guy here. I’m laying my imperfections out for all to see. The thing is, God shows me through these hard seasons what needs to change in my heart, and I am not someone who nods my head and says, “Yeah, yeah, God, I know. I’ll try harder” and than not do anything about it. If God reveals something ugly in my heart, I am all in when it comes to changing that part of me. I share this testimony with a desire that if you are like me, there is a better way. A less stressful, frustrating way. His Name is Jesus.
God has revealed that when something is perfectly aligned in His timing and will, you won’t need to strive to attain, stretched thin to the point of almost breaking.
At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.
Isaiah 60:22 NLV
You may not be striving to reach a dream like I am. Maybe you just need to find the money to pay a bill that’s overdue. Maybe you’ve been affected by this coronavirus outbreak, and have fear over your future and your family. Perhaps your future looks bleak and you’re unsure where your next meal will come from. Or maybe your savings for a home is not increasing as fast as you would like it to. No matter what your situation is, God is the ultimate perfect provider. When you trust and have faith that God will do what He promises over and over again, you ultimately step into a place of surrender. This is the greatest place you can be as a child of God as you trust in the Lord’s goodness and plan for your life, which is “too wonderful for [you] to know” (Job 42:3).
So what about you, my dear friends? Are you ready to step into God’s provision and plan for your life? Will you trust Him fully that His timing is perfect and lacking in nothing?
Step into this place of surrender with me and see how good God can be!
Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace.
Dr. Caroline Leaf
