Day 5

When You're Wondering If God Is Enough

"How are you doing...really doing?"

I would love to knock on your front door and have you invite me in for a cup of coffee and a chat. But since time and distance keep us from doing that, this book must be the next best thing. If we could just spend some time together, when we got past the "Hi! How are you?" I would want to know, "How are you doing...really doing?"
How are you doing on the inside? Are you hurting or feeling like a failure? Are you exhausted, tired of what seems like a rat race through the same old maze of life, day in and day out? Are you fighting a battle with disappointment?...depression?...discouragment? Are you feeling unloved or unlovable?
Are you questioning God, wondering why He has allowed things to be the way they are? Maybe you can't even admit this to others for fear they won't understand. Is there anger in your heart because of excruciating pain or bitter disappointment? Because you have lost someone or because your life has not been a "normal" life? Because you haev been rejected, abused, neglected, or unloved?
Does the future scare you? Are you wondering about your job? Your health? Cancer? Heart problems? Your children? Are you wondering how you are going to care for your parents? How you are going to provide for your family? What will happen in your old age?
Are you worrying? Anxious because you may lose your job...or because you can't find work? Worried about the kids? About how they will turn out? About what they are being exposed to? What they might get into? Drugs? Immorality? Suicide?
Or, maybe all is well but you want to go deeper with God. You want a greater consistency of devotion to your Lord Jesus Christ. You want your life to be different, less commercial, more centered on your Lord and eternal things. You want your life to have eternal significance; you want to be used by Him more than you have been in the past.
Whatever your situation, wherever you are, the answer is always the same: God knows your plight, your state. He knows exactly where you are and what you are going through.
He knows, and He wants to give you a future and a hope. Because of this, His solution is always an eternal one, an all-sufficient one. And if you miss what I am saying, or if you pass it off, you are going to miss the answer to the void, hurt, disappointment, fear, or desire I have mentioned above. The answer is found in a verse of Scripture:
     
                 "A child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

God has given you Jesus, His very own Son; and in giving you Jesus, He has put the governement of your life on His shoulders.
No matter what your situation, feelings, or desires, you have Jesus as your Wonderful Counselor. Where are you running for help? Don't run anywhere unless your Wonderful Counselor tells you to, and then check out all you hear with Him. He is there to guide you, sustain you, care for you.
He is there to govern your life, and He can because He is the Mighty God-sovereign, in control of all, not permitting any accidents in your life. He is filtering every aspect of your life and the things that concern you through His omnipotent fingers of love. All that comes into your life will eventually work together for your good and His glory. It will be used to make you like Him, and if you will but cling to this in faith, on the day in which you see Him face-to-face, you will have no regrets (Romans 8:28-29).
Just remember, you have an Eternal Father, and you can snuggle in his all-sufficient arms. He is the Father who is always there, always ready to listen, always able to help, always wanting your best and seeing that you get it. He is never too busy, never plays favorites with His other children, and is always impartial. If you want to be mightily used by Him in His kingdom, He will see that it happens...as long as you listen to Him, obey Him, and serve Him without a divided heart.
The problem is, we have looked elsewhere for our help and consolation; we have not allowed Him to be our all in all. We have taken the government of our lives off His shoulders and we have turned to the arm of flesh.
Are you anxious, troubled, tormented? He is your Prince of Peace. Let not your heart be troubled, believe in Him, trust in Him. Peace will reign as long as you obediently cast all of your care upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). Stop being anxious for even one thing, but in everything- with prayer and supplication- make your requests known to Him. When you do, His peace will guard your heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-7).
So as we end our little chat, let me jsut remind you to place your trust upon His shoulders and turn your life over to your Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace who has the answer to every question, the solution to every problem, the wisdom for every decision.

"I will put my trust in Him" (Hebrews 2:13).

(Arthur, 2002, pp. 28-30)

The reading for today is one that I need almost every day. Worrying seems to be my constant past time. I've stressed about everything from finances to whether I am raising my daughter correctly. Most days it doesn't overwhelm me, but I have on occation felt that sense of failure and disappointment in myself over a wrong decision. What my biggest challenge to this is, I fail to remain knowledgable about God's will concerning my everyday decisions and adventures. I've always felt that as a child we should grow and become independent of our parents, which is true for our earthy parents. However, as we grow independent of our earthy parents, we should be growing more and more dependent upon God as our Heavenly Father. It is my hope and prayer that through this daily devotion and dwelling on His will and His Word, my dependence upon myself can become more and more transfered to a dependence upon Him. Only then do we truly aquire the peace we all desire.
Personal note here, last year was the beginning of a true transformation and a letting go as I ventured out into my art buisness for the first time. It was quite a rocky start and I had alot of trouble just letting go. But finally when I did and started listening, doors opened to me that I didn't even know were there. I'm so very excited about the adventures within my artwork and buisness over the coming year! I know that God truly does have His hand in everything I do, whether I realize it or not!