Perspective

I have trouble with perspective. I forgot today, again, that God holds all things in His hands. Something extremely troubling crossed my path, and I felt like my "fate" was in the hands of my fellow man. I didn't like that feeling at all.

Actually, I very quickly succumbed to that thought! I just could no longer "stand" or go on.

This is such a dangerous place to be. Right when it was happening, in the midst of "steering off-track", I told myself, "I know God is in control, but I don't know what he will do!" Translation: I was not "okay" with God being in control, since I didn't know what He would do. I didn't know what the outcome would be, and I was ONLY going to be okay with ONE outcome... the one I had picked!

But, saying the words, "I know God is in control," somehow made it feel like I was on the right path, despite my miserable feelings.

Thankfully, God, in His mercy, did not let me go on long in this way. He reminded me that He IS in control. Even when it looks like "man" holds my future, it is God who is ultimately in control, and I can rest in that!

The Lord also showed me that I need to trust Him with WHATEVER happens. It hasn't happened yet. My saying, "I don't know what God will do" was not said in faith. I was saying correct words, but behind them I was thinking something terrible. I was thinking that it would only be okay (with me) if He worked it out in the way that I chose!

He reminded me that I need to trust Him, even before-hand, with whatever it is he does, whether it is what I "want" or not. He also reminded me that it is a very sweet place to be trusting Him. The world can be raging all around me, but when I'm trusting Him, it can't touch me. "O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: Which holdeth our soul in life; and suffereth not our feet to be moved." (Psalm 66:8-9) THIS is where I want to be. (always)

Thankfully I was able to talk to a couple of people, pray, and God straightened my thinking out. He IS in control, and I CAN trust Him with it, even if I don't know what will happen.

As I went through the rest of the day, a couple of things struck me about my struggles. First, my whole struggle today was summed up in Psalm 46 verse 6. "The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted." This was exactly what I was looking at today. I was seeing the "heathen rage" and it was not pleasant. I did not want to be under their sway!

This verse contains amazing truth, because first "The heathen raged," THEN, "The kingdoms were moved"! Not only did the heathen threaten, but the kingdoms were actually troubled because of this. Something happened and it was not pleasant.

Now look at what God did. "He uttered His voice." And when God spoke? "The earth melted."

Ah. This is my verse for today! I was so worried about what is a very real threat, but I forgot that when God speaks, the earth melts. Whoa. This is my God, and He is on my side.

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be fore us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32) "For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?" (Psalm 56:13)

I need not worry. I will trust Him.

Then tonight for our bedtime story, we read about the time Jesus walked on water. I don't usually consider a child's story Bible a thing to minister to a grown person's soul, but tonight God used our story together to help me.

What happened today was I was fine while trusting God. But when I looked at the waves around me, I sank, just as Peter started to sink when he looked around at the waves instead of at Jesus.

I could say more, but I don't know how to. I am just so thankful that God works in our hearts, and brings us back to Himself when we start to wander! (Just like Jesus stretched out His hand to Peter when he started to sink!)

It is an "easy" place to be, if I am trusting the Lord, no matter WHAT storms rage about me. Praise God!