Praise be Jesus Christ! Praise be His holy Name! Praise to Him who created. Praise Him who is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, all merciful! Praise be to God!
Thank You, Lord, for speaking to us through Your creation. Thank You, Lord, for homes, and vehicles, and the work of our hands. Thank You, Lord, for all that works in my home, and all that does not! Thank You for providing us with conveniences of which many only dream, and the lessons we learn when those conveniences are no longer convenient!
Forgive us, Lord, for our self-centeredness and short sightedness. Forgive us for the many times we have placed ourselves in the “wrong order” of things outside of Your most holy and perfect will. Forgive us for our pride, Lord, that often exhausts us and depletes our stamina to do Your will.
God had me notice the many magnolia buds on my trees, especially the one right outside my sunroom. It is often where I sit to pray and do the “work” of listening and being still. Many of the magnolia trees in my neighborhood are full of blooms, but mine seems to be full of buds. The words FAITHFUL ANTICIPATION popped in my head as I studied how many blooms my tree will produce soon!
I looked down at my bible that happened to be open to Numbers 22 and verse 18 caught my eye…“ I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God, TO DO LESS OR MORE.” God ministered to my heart, “God’s way; God’s timing is JUST RIGHT- not too much, not too little.”
My comparison of my tree to those in my neighborhood had me question God’s timing. It robbed me of the joy of faithful anticipation of the buds that will soon blossom. I compare way too often despite the fact that I have had so many reminders not to do so.
My next reminder from the Lord about His timing and way being JUST RIGHT really hit home too. When I find myself unnecessarily exhausted from the busy-ness of my season, I often reflect on how I really did MORE than God was asking. I know and have experienced that, at times, God “stretches” us, but the exhaustion that comes from trying to meet MY expectations instead of God’s is quite different from being trained and disciplined by the Lord. A prayer partner of mine replied very wisely that our pride is often the culprit when we “go beyond the command of the Lord.”
This is not the first time the Lord has had to remind me of this; I am sure it will not be the last, but while it is fresh in my mind- and right outside my sunroom- I will once again focus on only doing what God wills – nothing more, nothing less.
Lord, we trust that YOUR plans are PERFECT for the salvation of souls. We wait in FAITHFUL ANTICIPATION for Your plans to be fulfilled. Protect us from acting beyond Your command or outside of Your anointing. In Your name, we pray.
Photo by Amber Whitworth on Unsplash
