You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.
1 Peter 1:8
This is the person I long to be. I want to love God deeply and trust him with all that concerns me. When prayers aren't being answered the way I want or in the time frame I desire, I want to sit back and be this person who holds onto her faith with a joyfull heart. When my life isn't going as planned I want to be able to express my joy through encouraging others, smiles to strangers, sacrificing my time for those in need and sharing an impossible love with those who don't always share back. When I'm seeking God, but through His timing he still feels distant, or when I just can't see him through my difficulties and trials, I want to trust that He is there and I want to rejoice with this glorious, inexpressible joy that trumps my feelings of sadness or illness or inadequacy.
It sounds so simple but with every new trial it seems like I have to start this process all over again. I fight for a while before I realize it's not my battle to fight and I have to let go of everything so that God can get to work. Why do I forget so easily every time and I start to panic or worry about what to do or how to fix my problem? I put so much work in when God really wants me to relax in Him while he works out the details. God has better things for me. He has a joy waiting for me to pick up and hold onto. He doesn't expect me to let go of this joy even when things are hard. In fact, God wants me to share this joy with others, and rejoice when things are difficult, because in that difficulty He has growth for me. He has great plans for the things I learn through my trials. God really does know it all and He has our best in mind. I just wish I could get that stuck in my head once and for all.
Dear God, I want this joy that never leaves me. Help me to place my trust in only you and to feel your Spirit calm my heart as I grab hold of the peace you offer me. The trials in my life are meant to help me and grow me and so I ask that these also give me wisdom and strength to carry throughout my faith journey. God, you are my Father and you love me with a love so strong it's impossible to understand. Help me to never doubt you again. Help me to rejoice in my trials and rejoice in my answered prayers because ultimately you are in charge and you have all the right answers for me. Thank you God, I will honor you with my inexpressible joy. Amen
These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor in the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
1 Peter 1:7
No comments:
Post a Comment
We would love to hear from you!