Someone asked me the question “Why Not?- completely trust in the Lord” I didn’t really have a good answer for why I hesitated trusting the Lord completely. Maybe it was that I had prayed for “hard” things before, and it didn’t turn out the way that I thought. Maybe because I found myself in some challenging life circumstances that I really wanted God to intervene and change my fate.
I imagine that I’m like many other Christians who have navigated in and out of their daily lives desperately wandering, hoping for change, with limited results. Praying to see miracles and expecting blessings, while simultaneously praying the problem or circumstance away that would give God the opportunity to demonstrate His power in our lives. We say with our with our mouths that we have faith, but we secretly in the quiet places of our hearts, brace ourselves for the disappointment and doubt regarding the thing we prayed for. This is evidence that we don’t fully trust God to be God.
Faith to faith// God builds your trust in Him by carrying you from faith to faith. It is in this windy road of twists and turns and unplanned experiences that you learn to completely depend on the father. In the midst of the hardest points, He gentles stears your memory back to a place and time that felt similar, yet he was faithful and brought you out of the situation. The outcome, then , may not have been what you would have expected, but somehow you experienced a win. God’s faithfulness time after time, is the consistency and evidence you need to be confident in your future.
Providence// which I love to define as God’s ability to provide for everything needed in your life, before you are aware you need it. It is where Jeremiah 29:11 comes alive for me. “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, to give you a hope and a future.” Amongst these plans God knows what you will need. We attempt to plan our days, futures, and needs based on our budgets and availability. But God’s vision for your life is so much grander and detailed than that. He’s always looking from a 100K foot view. If you continue to “abide in Him, He will abide in you” directing your path to land. Before you notice you will look up only to observe that you have obtain all that you need to conquer your next assignment. That’s why He could look at Gideon and call him a “mighty warrior” even when he was in a wine press shifting wheat. God was faithful in His planning, and equally faithful in His provision.
Land where I send you// In these times it seems as if the value of a person is measured by the number of followers you have on social media. The major problem with this is that many people view the numbers but don’t weigh the content. What “good” is this person doing, or actively pouring into the lives of others, that inspires or brings about a transformation of the heart and mind? Maybe this is too deep of a question to ask, but as I get older I find that I have less tolerance for things that are merely entertainment. When you realize how short life is, you understand the importance of what the scripture says regarding “Lord, teach us how to number our days”. The truth of God’s word and the transformative power of His influence in our lives and others, is the proper measure and weight by which we should level out our standards. The truth is everyone has something to add to this life’s experience. Aligning yourself with your God given purpose also helps you to attract the people assigned to you- the ones whom you will free because you have experienced freedom in the same way through Jesus. So whether that be 5, 500, 50K, or 5 Million- the audience is assigned for you to carry out the assignment as a witness and agent of his transformative power here in the earth.
So when answering the question “Why Not?” if you find yourself stumbling over a justifiable answer, say what God says---He has already explained the why.
You are chosen and set apart
You are a royal priesthood
You were made in the image of God
Everywhere the soles of your feet tread over, that have I given you.
You are the head and not the tail, a lender and not a borrower
You are predestined before the foundations of the earth too do good works
You are a masterpiece, hand crafted and formed by the creator.
You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
You are more than a conqueror
So go conquer--WHY NOT?!
Julieian-Alexis Roberts
is a teacher and writer who is passionate about sharing with women who to live life chosen and set apart. She loves all things modern with user-friendly comforts. You will most likely catch her learning something new on YouTube, cuddled up with her husband, kids, and dog on the couch watching a movie with some popcorn in hand.