Mark 11:22-25
Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Embrace
this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you.
This mountain, for instance: Just say, ‘Go jump in the lake’—no
shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it’s as good as done. That’s why I
urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large.
Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s
everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that
it’s not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only
then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean
of sins.”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Sunday in the church nursery,
an almost 2-year-old named Stella lost her shoe. I retrieved the sandal and
handed it to her. She wanted to put it on by herself. There was an
ankle strap with a buckle, and she fussed at me as I took the shoe from
her to unfasten the buckle. When I tried to help her put it on her
foot, she would kick and squeal.
This little red-headed “ginger
snap” got so frustrated as she worked to put on her shoe…but she would
not accept any help in buckling the strap or getting it on correctly.
She finally just walked around with one shoe on and the other foot
bare! She would rather do that than allow someone to help her…to trust
that we grownups knew more than she did about how the shoe should go on
her foot and fasten!
Stella will figure it out. But when it
comes to our prayer life and faith in God, a lot of us are still walking
around wearing only one shoe! We still don’t fully understand that we
need to pray about everything…and believe that God hears us and
answers. Does this mean that we will all drive Maseratis and be
dripping in diamonds and furs…that we will never have to work another
day in our lives and God will make every single second hunky-dory
forever, just because we asked Him to do so? Absolutely not!
What this scripture tells us is that God will meet all of our needs…all the time and in every way. It also tells us that God knows
what these needs are…and how best to meet them. So when we pray and
ask God for help and guidance, we can relax and rest in the confidence
that He will answer… that whatever He gives us will be perfect. So if
you tell God you need a car to get to school or work or wherever, and He
provides you with a clunker that looks horrible but runs fine, you can
trust that this is what you need to be driving.
If you ask God to
bring you a soulmate, and the person who comes into your life doesn’t
exactly look like a model from the pages of Victoria’s Secret or one of
the men in GQ Magazine - but he/she loves Jesus and treats you
royally – consider that God has chosen the perfect companion for you,
based on His plans and not your selfish desires. When troubles come and
you ask God to help you through them…yet the road is rough and
rocky…don’t ask “Why me, LORD?” Instead, ask, “What are You showing me?
How do You want me to handle this? How can I glorify You in my
reactions and responses?”
It’s time for us to accept God’s
help…to trust His answers…and to let Him show us how to “put on the
other shoe” and live fully in His plans and abundance. This seems like a
pretty good day to get started…wouldn’t you agree?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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