Having a plan, learning to delegate, and making peace with your calling will help you get done what needs to be accomplished and get more intentional with those you love.

Refresh My Soul

Read Psalm 121.

Where does your help come from?

You have just had a glimpse of my life and how I do what I do. In this chapter, I wanted to provide you with an opportunity to honestly assess and investigate what you do by answering this most popular of questions. While I offered practical and logistical tips in this chapter, I want to spend a few moments here encouraging you to first and foremost seek help from the Lord. In all I have learned about making my life work for me, this has been my greatest lesson. I must find my true help in Him.

In verse 2 of this psalm, the psalmist identifies God as "the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." He is the God of the universe, the Creator of all things.

Read Psalm 96:10-13.

All things fall under the authority of God. As their Creator, they all must obey according to His will. This order and authority brings me great peace and comfort. I know that nothing happens in my life that has not been first filtered through the hands of God. For this reason, I have learned to view what could be seen as life’s interruptions as opportunities instead. Each day I submit my plans, my ideas, and my desires to His ultimate authority. This is what brings me joy and makes my life work, no matter what. I can call on God for help because He is in control.

Read Psalm 33:6-11.

This is a beautiful passage about God’s authority over all creation. Verse 11 tells us that "the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." This means that His purpose extends into the generations to come. Your children and grandchildren will be affected and shaped by His purposes as well. You are leaving a legacy by learning to respond to His plans for you.

Proverbs 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails."

What are your plans? Are there things in your life that aren’t going according to your plans? Take comfort in knowing and accepting that—for whatever reason—God has allowed this as part of His purposes for you.

Now, reread Psalm 121:3-8.

These verses are here to encourage you today. God knows you intimately. He knows what you are facing. He knows the details of your life. These verses tell us that He watches over your life. He watches your coming and going. (Wow! That means God sees all those trips to soccer practice and runs to the grocery store.) Even when you sleep, God is taking care of things because He does not sleep. Allow these verses to seep into your heart and become part of your thought life. The God of the universe cares for you! He is there to help you release what you don’t need to be doing and give you strength to do the rest.

 Taken from: The Bathtub is Overflowing But I Feel Drained. Copyright © 2006 by Lysa TerKeurst. Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR.  Used by permission.

Lysa Terkeurst is a wife, mother of five, and the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries. She has appeared on many national broadcast programs, including Focus on the Family. She is the author of a number of books, including What Happens When Women Walk in Faith, and the coathor of A Woman's Secret to a Balanced Life.