Follow-Through

It’s fun and soul invigorating to sings songs of surrender to God. The follow-through, though; is rarely natural. Even more, it is not as much fun as singing those songs.

I have found giving an outpour of praise and dedication to God through music to be exuberant and encompassing.

To pray and commit my plans and thoughts to God has become a routine and habit. I get up from that quiet space with God and “feel His peace” and “His presence” in my life and thoughts. I walk throughout my day confident that I am in Gods’ will, that the plans are sure. Only to find that they are not. At least, not always. These plans were simply my plans.

I did what was right in the eyes of God because I looked at His word, I submitted the plans to Him, and asked him to bless them. That was right and pleasing to Him, according to His word. But that does not always mean the answer is what I want it to be.

I am learning, though, that when I submit my plans to God and ask Him to bless it, one of His answers can and sometimes will be: “no.” Am I willing to still sing my songs of surrender and submission to God when I feel like my plans have been stonewalled? Am I willing to relinquish my ideas for His to be fulfilled in me in the first place?

That reality is an ongoing life lesson. There are so many stages to life with God. I am in tears and complete awe of it all. His mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), as are the experiences that He guides us through.

A novel experience for me is learning to be honest with God. Genuine, transparent, raw. Not just when I’m grateful and emotional about His love and mercy. I’m learning to be that way when I’m disappointed with His answers when I’m confused because of how my life seems to be turning out and what’s happening. But that’s okay! He can handle my emotions; He can handle my frustrations. More importantly: He desires too! He seeks that intimacy with us. God is not fickle or egocentric desiring only to hear from us when we want to give him praise because we’re “happy-go-lucky” about life. However, how do you feel when the only time someone wants to seek you out is to ask you for something or to complain? God desires a relationship with us to guide us through life. To be invited into every aspect of our being and existence.

The enemy desires for me to keep this to myself. To not share it with you and, more importantly, to not share these things with God. To not share this with you because sharing it would let someone know they’re not alone in this lesson of surrendering to God. They would be encouraged to carry on in this faith walk!

To not share it with God, because then I could be isolated. I could be lead to believe the lie that God doesn’t actually care about me. The lie that God is not the “Good Father,” the “Faithful Friend,” the “Loving Provider” that He says He His. To not bring my cares to the Lord would be an act of doubting God’s word. To doubt His word is the result of doubting God himself; for God is the word. He is His Word. If God said it, God is “it,” and glory to His name, He does “it.”

Scriptures to consider:

•John 1:1

•Lamentations 3:22-26

•Psalms 68:5

•Deuteronomy 7:9

•Psalms 86:15

•Philippians 4:19