Rest

"By the seventh day

God had finished the work he had been doing;

so on the seventh day

he rested from all his work."

Genesis 2:2

A few years back we were considering placing a fence around the perimeter of our backyard.  In order to find out where our lot ended and our neighbor's began, we had to hire a surveyor to mark out the boundaries of our property.  

Curious as I was, I watched the man work.  I soon discovered his job solely consisted of finding the markers already buried at the corners and along several points along the rear of our pie-shaped lot.  He used a metal detector to help him locate these underground stakes, then simply placed a flag at these positions.  The border had already been determined, all the surveyor needed to do was follow their pre-placed path.

This reminds me of my relationship with God.  He has already done the work of preparing a plan for my life, taking that burden off of my shoulders.  (Jeremiah 29:11)  There is nothing I can do to add or take away; my only choice is to whether or not I will accept.  Therefore, I can enter into His rest, following what He has already laid out for me.  (Hebrews 4:9-11)

Trust

I held the plans in my hands as my husband and I stood before the jumble of lumber and hardware strewn about the room.  Somewhere in this mess lay a book stand.  Before we could present this shelf to our daughter for her birthday, however, we had to assemble the pieces together in the way they were meant to be put together.  We tried to figure out how they all fit, but there would always be a few pieces left after we tried it our way.  Soon we realized that success dictated the necessity of the directions I held in my hands.

In the same way, God has a master plan for my life.  I may think I know the best way to negotiate the circumstances of my days, but only God sees the big picture, and only He knows how I was created to live.  Therefore, I can trust in His sovereign plan.

When shocking news rocks my world, then, I can either lean on my own understanding in searching for a way to cope, or I can let my Shepherd lead me through the dark time. (Psalm 23:4)  When I come up short and am unable to pay my bills, I can seek out solutions from my friends and financial experts or I can first go to my Father who has promised to take care of me. (Philippians 4:19) When everything seems out of control and I don't see a way out, I can drown my sorrows in pleasurable pursuits, numb my feelings with drink, or distract my mind with work, or I can place my faith in my Father's eternal perspective.

Trusting in God's sovereign plan for my life will result in peace that only comes from Him.

Believe

Vacation Bible School is one of the most fun events a church can host during the year.  One reason these children's outreach programs are so effective is that most of the hard work of planning has already been done by the curriculum builders.  

At a recent training for our church's VBS, I was reminded of this when the director advised us to follow the lesson plans closely.  "This curriculum has been field tested, scrutinized and reviewed, so what you hold in your hands has been found to work best."

Just as I can accept the material in the leader's booklet as the most effective plan for my VBS class, so I can believe that God has already worked out the details of my life.  All that is left for me to do is walk through it.

This knowledge helps me when my future seems uncertain.  Believing that tomorrow is a memory to God gives me hope.  Not only does God have a plan, but He's already plowed the way for me to walk.

Believing that God has already completed the work of my life gives me hope to carry on.

Go Forth

The screams of my three-year-old daughter echoed down the halls of the busy dental clinic.  My daughter had recently fallen on the stairs, hitting the front of her mouth.  After a few days, her two front teeth turned gray, indicating the damage that had been suffered.  The poor dentist was trying to remove those teeth but his toddler-patient was not cooperating.  Adrianna had never been to a dentist before so she didn't know what to expect.  The fear of the unknown drove her to near-hysteria.

As horrible as that first visit to the dentist was, it is easy for me to take on the same attitude as my naive daughter when it comes to my life.  A new situation pops up and I panic, not knowing what to expect.  With Jesus as Lord of my life, however, I can go forth with confidence, knowing that He is already waiting for me at the end of the path.  Even though I don't know what will happen, He is very familiar with every aspect of my life. (Psalm 139:1-6)

Fear, then, is the result of not understanding the sovereignty of God and the scope of His control.  Nothing in my life has not first gone through His hands for approval.  I can trust, then, that every circumstance, difficulty and trouble will bring out good in my life according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Going forth with confidence is only possible when I trust in God's plan and believe that He's already marked out the way for me.

After God finished the work of creation, He rested.  Everything had already been accomplished; there was nothing left to do.  If I trust in God's sovereign plan, believing that the work of my life has already been done,going forth with confidence, then I can also enter into that rest as well.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will let go of all my control and enter into the rest of trusting in what God has already done.

When do I try to manipulate circumstances to fit my plan?

How am I fighting what God has already done?