Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares for you….
1 Peter 5:7
1 Peter 5:7
This morning I watched a seagull body surf to the shore. It would have been more spectacular to see him standing up on his little webbed feet surfing into the shore but it seems that even water birds have their limitations! Actually it would have been quite ridiculous to see the little bird struggling to make it in by his own efforts when the waves could so easily carry him.
This small incident made me think about the greatness of God’s power and grace and how, if we will only allow ourselves to be carried by him on the waters of life, we would experience far more peace on our own life journey. So often we struggle so much to “make things happen” when most times all that is needed is for us to drop our independent “I can do it” – or worse still, “I must do it” mindset, and say to God, “I give it all to you Lord.” All we need to do at times is to rest on the waves and let them bring us to the shore. (That’s all Noah and his family could do in the flood. They had absolutely no choice but to trust God and ride the waves and wait for his time of release. God, of course, faithfully brought them to a place of safety and peace.)
The apostle Paul was so frustrated with the Christians in Galatia that he said to them “Oh, foolish Galatians…… let me ask you this one question; did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ….. why then are you trying to get things done (author’s interpretation), by your own human effort?” (Galatians 3:1-3).
We trusted God for our salvation and in our early years of faith it seemed easy to leave God to work things out. Then as we ‘grew up’ we have often decided that we had to take control and work things out for ourselves, forgetting that Jesus said we need to become as little children…. (Luke 18:17).
In every situation I believe that God wants us to experience his grace and faithfulness. Sometimes we are too impatient to wait for his timing, sometimes we think that this particular situation is out of God’s area of interest or control. That is very wrong thinking. God wants us to bring everything to him, just like a little child wants to tell Daddy or Mummy about every little thing. Nothing is too big and nothing is too small for God to be interested in it.
Being carried by his grace is something that many of us find difficult, but we need to learn how to let go and allow God to work things out so that he then gets the glory. What is the situation that faces you today that you should let go of and allow God to take control of?
This small incident made me think about the greatness of God’s power and grace and how, if we will only allow ourselves to be carried by him on the waters of life, we would experience far more peace on our own life journey. So often we struggle so much to “make things happen” when most times all that is needed is for us to drop our independent “I can do it” – or worse still, “I must do it” mindset, and say to God, “I give it all to you Lord.” All we need to do at times is to rest on the waves and let them bring us to the shore. (That’s all Noah and his family could do in the flood. They had absolutely no choice but to trust God and ride the waves and wait for his time of release. God, of course, faithfully brought them to a place of safety and peace.)
The apostle Paul was so frustrated with the Christians in Galatia that he said to them “Oh, foolish Galatians…… let me ask you this one question; did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ….. why then are you trying to get things done (author’s interpretation), by your own human effort?” (Galatians 3:1-3).
We trusted God for our salvation and in our early years of faith it seemed easy to leave God to work things out. Then as we ‘grew up’ we have often decided that we had to take control and work things out for ourselves, forgetting that Jesus said we need to become as little children…. (Luke 18:17).
In every situation I believe that God wants us to experience his grace and faithfulness. Sometimes we are too impatient to wait for his timing, sometimes we think that this particular situation is out of God’s area of interest or control. That is very wrong thinking. God wants us to bring everything to him, just like a little child wants to tell Daddy or Mummy about every little thing. Nothing is too big and nothing is too small for God to be interested in it.
Being carried by his grace is something that many of us find difficult, but we need to learn how to let go and allow God to work things out so that he then gets the glory. What is the situation that faces you today that you should let go of and allow God to take control of?
Prayer: God of love and grace you are faithful in all your ways. Help me to become like a little child again in my faith and to trust in you. Take my cares about …………. today and please help me to leave this situation in your capable hands. In Jesus’ name, Amen
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