Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
— Proverbs 3:5–6
Reflecton
For so many years I yearned for change, but needed certainty. I wanted a platform, but I needed certainty. I wanted to be the person God was calling me to be, but I needed certainty. I wanted freedom from my anxiety and the world's chaos. But I needed certainty. I needed the whole plan. Security. And I needed a back up plan, and then a back up plan for the back up plan... before taking the first step.
God kept inviting me to trust Him one step at a time. And that trust did not come easy! It came with me adding conditions that were never granted. Instead He changed me.
Looking back I realize he wasn't withholding certainty, though it felt that way at the time. He was teaching dependence. Trust became the doorway to abiding, and abiding became the place where I discovered a new kind of peace.
I discovered peace from Christ.
Not peace from the world.
The world can offer moments of quiet. A walk outside. A peaceful cup of coffee before the house wakes up. Those things calm our minds, and they are good gifts from God. But the peace Christ gives is different. It reamains when the diagnosis comes. It remains when the job changes. It remains when the future feels uncertain.
It isn't the absence of trouble.
It's the presence of Christ.
A Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for patiently teaching me to trust You when I wanted certainty. I pray You would meet every person reading these words exactly where they are. Give us the courage to take the next faithful step, even when we cannot see the whole path. Teach us to abide in You, trust You more deeply, and experience the peace that only You can give.
Amen.
To Dwell On This Week
Where in my life am I waiting for certainty before I'm willing to trust God?
What would one faithful step of obedience look like today?
Come And See
Each week we'll open God's word together, learning what it means to abide in Christ and dwell in His peace. If today's reflection encouraged you, I'd love for you to come back next week as we continue learning what it means to abide in Christ and dwell in His peace. Until then...
May you dwell in Him.
—Rhonda, Abide & Dwell