I've been thinking a lot lately about the sovereignty of God. In the normal hustle and bustle of each day, it can be easy to lose sight of this sovereignty, or to sinfully live our lives as if we were sovereign and not God.
My husband and I have just enjoyed three weeks holiday in some beautiful locations. I really appreciate having this time to relax and refocus, particularly at the beginning of a new year. I'm not one for making resolutions, but I always start the year with my goal to know God more and to learn to trust Him in all things. It is quite easy to trust him in the "small" things that are relatively easy to let go of. This year I want to lay all of my concerns and plans at His feet and trust Him with the results. Sometimes I don't understand the path that He leads me on, sometimes the path isn't easy - but I want to trust Him, no matter what.
John Piper explains the concept of using means, but not trusting the means, but God in the following from this article:
This sounds so simple. In principle it is. But in practice we sinners are wired to trust in means, not God. Over and over I devise plans, and then find my initial enthusiasm rise or fall as the plan seems smart or not. This is trust in plans, not trust in God. There is no doubt God wants us to use means to get his work done. But just as clearly he wants us not to trust in these means. “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD” (Proverbs 21:31). Therefore, our confidence should not be in the horse, but in the Lord. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7).
The surest way that I'm going to trust God is to read my Bible and to know him more and to consistently pray. The 5.16am girls have been a real blessing to me. It is so great to be involved with others who encourage me on this path. This year I want to graciously honor God in the circumstances that he leads me to. How about you? :)
To read more Motivate Me Mondays, go to Sarah Mae's blog.
5 comments:
Love the new header by the way - so fun!
The sovereignty thing is something I'm trying to grapple with...I have some heart issues in this area. I look forward to reading over that Piper article - thank you for sharing!
:)
Oooh, another Aussie. Finding an Aussie amongst the myriad of American bloggers is a bit like finding a lost piece of chocolate you didn't know was in the pantry! LOL.
My husband has just gone back to work today after about a month off (annual leave) - he really needed the break after a particular nasty/scary situation at work, something that is still ongoing. On the surface this situation doesn't seem to be from God - in fact, it seems to be from the 'other side of the coin'. There were a lot of confusion and fear and it has taken a superhuman effort on my part to trust God and whatever He is doing in all of this.
Hey, I was reading through some of your archived posts and noticed you do the 5am Club at 6am too. I was just writing today as part of Motivate Me Monday about rising early. Is there an email list for the 5:16 club as well as a forum?
Cheers,
Lizzie
www.lizzieshome.blogspot.com
Sooo well put! Thank you for that piece from Piper. That is a huge struggle for me. Huge. My joy goes up and down based on my means and it's got to stop. I really needed this. Thank you!
This is a super post! It seems several of us have been thinking along the same lines this past week. Thank you so much for sharing! I needed this!
I needed this too womanhood! Thank you! Just today, I found there is something huge I need to trust Him completely with and like you, the small stuff is easy, but I know He wants it all, large and small!
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