“He trusts in the Lord; let
the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him." -
Psalm 22:8
Many of us are so hurt by
our past that we are afraid of our future. We are so full of fear and worry
that we hold our breath and hyperventilate most of the time, wondering when the
next calamity will hit us. People often function in the present moment on
automatic pilot, while our thoughts are either on the past or the future. The
past is over and forgiven; therefore, dwelling on it only hinders the
present. We are not promised a future;
so, worry about the future is also futile. God only gives us grace to face
today (Matthew 6:31-24).
Jesus told us to take no
thought for tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). We
can plan as God gives us direction. Otherwise, imagining what the future holds
only increases our tendency to worry, because we think too far ahead. We do not have
God’s grace to face the future until it is today (Matthew 6:34). It is through this attentiveness to
what is actually going on around us that we become completely aware of His
presence and fully alive. We also become more effective in ministry, because we
are in tune with God’s Spirit moment by moment.
If you feel any anxiety, you can be sure that you are worrying instead of
focusing on God. He warned us that today’s trouble are sufficient for us to
solve (Matthew 6:34). So, cast all your fears and anxiety on Him, because He
cares about us (1 Peter 5:7). As we
trust in the Lord with all our soul, our mind is not divided between faith and
fear. If we do not lean on our own human understanding, and if we acknowledge
Him in all of our ways, He promises to direct our paths (Proverbs
3:5-6).
As we dwell in the moment,
we become conscious of our union with God through Jesus Christ by His Holy
Spirit. His awesome presence permeates our being as we learn to live
consciously by faith in His love. As we give our
prayerful attention to the moment as God gives it to us to enjoy, we are aware
of God’s presence in our lives and we follow the leading of His Holy Spirit
moment by moment throughout the day.
That is why a daily quiet
time of praise, devotion, and meditation on God’s Word is so important. As we
emerge from our quiet time in His presence, we will radiate joy, and walk in a
calm peace in the midst of all of life’s difficulties. If God wants you to plan ahead,
He will put ideas in your mind as He wants you to be aware of them. Write notes
as He bring things to your mind. Soon you will have a list of what to do and
when to do it.
God keeps us in perfect
peace, as we keep our mind focused on Him and trust in Him (Isaiah
26: 3). We do not need to worry about
anything when we give everything over to God in prayer. The loving presence of
God within you is closer to you than you are to your own self. God knew us
before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter1:20;
Jeremiah 1:5). He knew us as He formed
us in our mother’s womb. He has a perfect plan for our lives. Only as we dwell in
His will can we be truly happy and fulfilled.
No person, place, thing, or
experience can match the level of intimacy that we have possible with Christ
within us, because "Christ within us is our hope of glory" (Galatians
2:20; Colossians 1:27). No human
relationship can come from within us. Only our relationship with the Lord of
life, living and dwelling inside of us, can bring this level of fulfillment.
The only way we will know what God wants us to do is to listen. When we do take
the time to listen, God meets us in all of His glory! As we sit in silence,
with no inner or outer distractions, we reach a new level of awareness and a
place of inner tranquility. We empty ourselves of our carnal flesh and focus
solely on the voice of our Beloved God.
Living in this present moment gives us a break from our racing thoughts and
chaotic minds. It allows us to appreciate God’s gifts to us for today. It is a
good break from problem-solving and thinking about the future. We only have to
deal with what is facing us at this current moment. God keeps us in perfect peace, when we keep our mind
focused on Him and trust in Him (Isaiah 26: 3). As we cast our
cares on the Lord, He sustains us; He will never let the righteous fail (Psalm
55:22).
Serenity comes as we are fully present in the moment and as we observe just
what is in front of us. God exhorts us
not to be anxious about anything, but in everything, by the power of prayer
along with an attitude of gratitude, we can present our requests to God. As we
commit to the Lord everything that He leads us to do, we will certainly succeed
(Proverbs 16:3).
Once we completely surrender
all our cares on Him, His peace, which passes all human understanding, keeps
our hearts and minds stable through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:5-7). This may sound
simplistic, but too often people tend to over-analyze and over-think things,
which causes anxiety. If we focus on tomorrow, we will miss the beauty of what
God gives us today. The trauma of the
past and the fear of the future have no place in the present moment. Once God
heals our soul, we do not feel shame for the past and we have few worries about
the future. We are safe and secure in the arms of God in this present moment,
even if the circumstances around us are full of turmoil and conflict.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, our relationship
with You gives us peace like no earthly bond can offer. When worldly hostility
bombards us, our hearts are tempted to faint within us. Yet, only in the still,
small place within, where we fellowship with You, can we find true empathy and
solace from the God who loves us more than He loves Himself. We bask in the
rays of Your comfort and direction. When we go out into the life to which You
called us, we have renewed power to meet the needs of those You send our way. We
can forgive, nurture, empathize, and "wait on tables"– minister to
others in Your name.
Thought for the Day;
If
we fail to spend time with God in the quiet moments, we will never be aware of
Him in the midst of the chaos around us.Thank you, Sarah Patterson, for the use of your photo.
