3/3/06
Encouragement for Today
“Trust Me”
Wendy Pope, Director of Development, Proverbs 31 Speaker Team Member
Key Verse:
Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on you own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." (NIV)
Devotion:
"No you can’t, you just have to trust me. I know what is best for you. I am your mother and I have lived longer and know more than you do." Sound familiar? Without a shadow of a doubt, I feel confident in saying most of us have used these words at one time or another with our children. I feel equally as confident in saying we have had heard these words from our own parents at some point in our own lives. The question remains, "Why didn’t we trust? And why don’t our children trust us?"
My answer to this question comes from my relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ, Who on more than one occasion has said to me, "You will have to just trust me. I know what is best for you; I am your Father. I know the future, and I know what you need." I am not sure of the exact number of times my Heavenly Father has said, "No" or "Wait" to me - its probably in the hundreds. I am confident, however, that each "No" or "Wait" led to something much better than what I had desired.
I have come to a place in my walk with the Lord where I can see His plan for my life being laid out right before me. Waiting is almost fun now because there is a trust I have with my Lord that I didn’t have before. It would be untruthful to say that I’m not a little anxious or impatient at times; however, I praise Him for teaching me to wait, to be still, and to know that He is God.
In waiting on Him I have learned to:
- Be willing to take a risk.
Act on things you sense God is leading you to do and trust Him for the outcome.
- Actively pray and study God’s Word.
This will enable you to hear God speak and reveal His plans.
- Invite others to pray with you.
Ask a few Godly friends to pray for you in your effort to trust God. Accountability helps.
- Taste His faithfulness while you wait.
He desires to reveal Himself. He will amaze you if you trust and believe in Him.
My Prayer for Today:
Thank You God for loving me enough to have a plan for my life. I ask You to help me trust You. Forgive me for not trusting You in the past. It is my desire to trust You and follow Your plan. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application Steps:
Act on something you sense God is leading you to do. Actively pray and study God’s Word for direction. Ask a few Godly friends to pray with and for you. Watch for His hand at work through you and on your behalf.
Reflection Points:
Do I really trust God?
Can God trust me to follow the plan He has for my life?
What is keeping me from moving to the next level in my relationship with Christ?
Is God asking me to trust in a specific circumstance right now? What’s been my response?
Verses:
Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope a future."(NIV)
Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." (NIV)
Ephesians 2:10, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (NIV)
Additional Resources:
Out of the Mouth of Babes, by Wendy Pope
http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/newresources_mouthBabes.htm
Living Life on Purpose, by Lysa TerKeurst
http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/newresources_livingLife.htm
Life Planning Journal, by Lysa TerKeurst
http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/newresources_lifePlanningJournal.htm