New Year, Ninth Step

Whether due to my waking up later than I had planned or to simply being one of those days, I find myself feeling non-descript—not off, not on, just here. I suppose I could be easily lured onto the path of discombobulation, but I prefer to take a few steps in a focused direction in hopes my mind and body will kick into gear.  So far, no good…

Sometimes the best place to start is where you left off; this morning, that seems like wise counsel to give myself and I shall take it.  Yesterday I closed out my posting with the encouragement, “For every need there is a name…Jehovah.”  There are volumes written and many remaining to be written on the name of God. This morning, my mind still in a sluggish state, this capsulated truth is manageable and none-the-less powerful for its brevity.

I launched into the new year against a backdrop of a handful—more like multiple handfuls—of very discomfiting circumstances and situations. Although I know that nothing is too difficult for God, my back was definitely up against a wall—a very high, solid brick wall.  If I intended to start the new year off on the right foot, God would need to show me some ground on which to walk. I was at a complete standstill; I knew it and so did the enemy.

If I had no place to go, I figured the least I could do was make my waiting time as pleasant as possible. I decided to give anxiety a rest; I would wait without worrying.  What did I have to lose—except an exercise in futility?  I am still waiting, and have yet to miss the companionship and counterfeit comfort of worry. A breakthrough in one situation foreshadowed a breakthrough in another. A number of the biggest challenges remain, but so does my focus—one step, one day at a time.

‘Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. “ (Matt. 6:14) And what about today’s trouble? What do I do with that? The same thing I do with tomorrow’s…leave it in God’s hands and wait for His plan. Whether I walk or wait, I can exercise faith. If a mustard seed of faith can move mountains, my molehills of trouble were hardly worth a second thought. If God knows, He cares. If He cares, He will provide. If He provides, we can trust. If we trust, the peace of God will reign and rule in our hearts and we will not be moved—swayed maybe, but not moved. If God is faithful…He is faithful—down to the last detail, the faintest whispered prayer, the most close and dear desire. That is hope in which I can find rest today and draw strength for tomorrow.