Chapter Four: But wait, there's more!

Chapter Four: But Wait, There's More!
Once again, the time was quickly approaching for me to pay my next school bill. And as it approached, I found something strange happening in my heart. As the deadline quickly approached I found that I wasn't anxious. I wasn't worrying. Because I remembered what God had done last month, and I was sure He could do it again if He wanted to. So I didn't worry. My parents, as parents do, would occasionally ask how I was going to pay, and I never knew the specific answer to that question, but I knew it would all work out.

That sounds like a lazy view doesn't it? I thought so at first too. You can't just sit around hoping for everything to work out, can you? Normally, no. You cannot. But you know what makes all the difference? God. And if He has promised to provide for your every need according to His will, why would we reject that and try to do it on our own? Doesn't that route sound so much more tiring and purposeless if someone has already offered to do the dirty work for you?

But I get it. Because I felt so lazy at first too. It wasn't that I was choosing to not do anything because I wasn't willing to do the work. No, that's different. What was happening is that I was learning what it meant to rest in the Lord and stop striving.

That word - striving - do you know what I mean by that? It's that kind of work where you are chasing and chasing after something until you get it. It's the idea of a hamster running on it's hamster wheel. Do you understand how meaningless that is? God has not called us to do no work. In fact, sometimes He specifically calls us to work. According to Him, hard work is good. But He has called us to stop striving. He's called us to stop working so hard on our own, when He's already offered to do the hard work for us. He's called us to stop running on that hamster wheel that doesn't go anywhere, and instead piggy back on Him.

And this was exactly what I was learning in late July. God was teaching me to stop striving and trust Him. Of course that makes no sense in the world's standards, but why would we expect God's standards of living to ever make sense to a broken and sin filled world?

Just as the deadline approached for me to pay my next school bill, my dad asked if He could talk with me. I was baffled at what He could possibly have to say that was so important, but I expected it to be somewhat bad since you rarely ask to talk to someone like that if you have good news. But oh, how wrong I was! In the next few minutes my father shared with me that an organization had decided to give me a one thousand dollar scholarship for school! I was overjoyed. And I was so pleased to see that resting in God's sovereignty had not been a mistake.

I once again was overcome with an awe for God and His awesome power. I was once again reminded of His faithfulness and His goodness. I was once again reminded that He saw me in my plight and cared for me. And once again, I was reminded of His great love for me.

When was the last time you truly took a step back from all the stressors in your life, and rested in God to work them out? When was the last time you choose not to worry about things that should be cause for anxiety and instead trust in God? I encourage you to cast your burdens on the Lord today because His yoke is easy and His burden is light.