Give it to God!

Problems, people’s needs, and general concerns seem to love to find me at 2 am! I awaken often at that hour to wonder, ‘what should I do?’ or ‘how will they get through that?’ or ‘why are they making that choice?’ …   

Those situations that need a solution seem so much bigger in the darkness of the night, don’t they?  I am so thankful for the invitation that God gives us for all the hours of the day and night: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6, NIV)  In the darkness, I turn my heart and mind to Him, presenting those needs, large and small, to Him in prayer.  The passing years have taught me that to worry the night away is a foolish choice. My Father never sleeps. He cares for me so I choose to take His rest.

Faith is not just a feeling, my friend, it is choice!

God met Abraham and told him that he would be the ‘fathers of nations,’ that his descendants would be innumerable. Abraham believed Him and then, nothing happened for years! Long after his wife, Sarah, was well past child-bearing years he was still not a father to an heir.  I do not know if that kept him awake at night but I do know he was troubled. In prayer, he heard the voice of God with a promise of blessings and his response is a complaint. “O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” (Genesis 15:2-3, NIV)

This man, though a friend of God, decided to ‘help’ the Lord keep His promise. Yes, he did!  With Sarah’s agreement, he took a surrogate wife, Hagar. The son born to that union was Ishmael, who caused no small trouble for Abraham in years to come.  Did the Lord God discard the old man for his temporary failure of faith?  No, he did not. 

Abe and Sally finally had a son when they were old enough to be in an extended care facility! "It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them." (Hebrews 11:11-12, NLT)

It is a spiritual disease, pride, that causes us to try to live without God’s help, or to reduce the Divine Word to something of our own understanding and then to force our will onto Him. The result is almost always something less than He has planned, often a source of regret. Abraham did not come up with a dream and decide that he should make God give him a son.  The promise came at the Lord’s initiative.  All that God desired from him was an expectant faith. This faith was not in himself, not shaped by his dreams, nor was it some projection of his own sense of grandeur.  Abraham heard the word of the Lord. As long as he remained focused on the promise, he lived with assurance.

The key to great faith is not screaming at God in the moment of desperation, but in listening to God.  When the unexplainable, the unfathomable, the unexpected comes our way, the best first response is attentiveness to His Person, a renewal of our relationship so that we can commit our way to Him. If you’re up against a wall, try fasting (giving up!) your words, your complaints, your demands. Quiet your heart, take authority over your emotions, and renew yourself in worship!  Authenticity requires me to admit it is sometimes easier said than done, especially at 2 am.

The word from the Word for your meditations challenges us to faithfulness, to trust always.

"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!" (Isaiah 30:14-16, NIV)

"Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses,
who trust in the multitude of their chariots
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek help from the LORD." (Isaiah 31:1, NIV)

______________

Way Maker

(Let this song move you to praise God for His plans)

You are here moving in our midst

I worship You I worship You

You are here working in this place

I worship You I worship You

 

Way Maker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper,

Light in the darkness, my God that is who You are

 

You are here touching ev'ry heart

I worship You I worship You

You are here healing ev'ry heart

I worship You I worship You

 

You are here turning lives around

I worship You I worship You

You are here mending ev'ry heart

I worship You yeah I worship You Lord

 

That is who You are

That is who You are

That is who You are

That is who You are

 

Even when I don't see it You're working

Even when I don't feel it You're working

You never stop You never stop working

You never stop You never stop working

 

Osinachi Kalu Okoro Egbu

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