Is He Lord or Not?

 

By Andrea Merrell

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

 

“Why are you talking about God?” my friend asked. “This is real life, not church. What’s He got to do with anything?”

Without hesitation I said, “Actually, He’s got to do with everything—especially for the born-again believer.”

The conversation happened many years ago, but I remember it well. It was the classic case of secular versus sacred. As far as she was concerned, God was relegated to church and the Bible, nothing more.

I once heard a man say, “If you give God an inch, He’ll take more than a mile.” He believed if you give God certain parts of your life and heart, He will only want more. This man was not willing to surrender even that tiny inch.

What I’ve learned over the years is that if He’s not Lord over every single area of my life—including my thoughts, words, actions, habits, relationships, possessions—He’s not Lord over me at all.

God wants us to trust in Him with our whole heart, not just a small part of it. He promises that if we acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct us and make our paths straight.

I don’t know about you, but I need God involved in every area and in every moment of my life. I’ll gladly give Him that inch and ask Him to take all the rest. I’m all in.

How about you?

Photo by Miriam G on Unsplash

Why Me, Lord?

 By Andrea Merrell

 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28 NIV

 

We’ve all said it, or at least thought it, at some point in our life: Why me, Lord?

Why am I so sick? Why didn’t I get that promotion? My family is dysfunctional. My finances are upside-down. My best friend betrayed me. Why me, Lord? Why, why, why?

As we get older, we realize we are actually doing something we teach our kids not to do—whining. We get so focused on ourselves and what’s going on, or not going on, in our lives that we lose our perspective.

Perhaps what we should be saying when things go haywire is, Lord, what are you trying to teach me through this situation? Chris Tiegreen says:

Our circumstances almost always have the potential to be a platform for a revelation of some aspect of His nature—His compassion, comfort, power, deliverance, protection, provision, or anything else. Our situations—especially the hard ones—are specifically designed to become a stage for His glory.

There are aspects of life we’ll never understand from ground level. That’s okay; God is much more interested in your ability to trust Him than in your ability to understand Him. He loves your intellect, but He’s going after your loyalty first. When you can stop focusing on your predicament and anticipate His provision, things begin to happen. Never let a crisis drive you away from Him; let it draw you closer. He’s waiting to meet you in the middle of it and show something of Himself.

Are you smack dab in the middle of a predicament? Instead of saying why me, Lord? Try saying what’s next, Lord? Show me your glory. He will.

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Stuart Miles.)

TWEETABLE

When we stop focusing on our predicament and anticipate God’s provision, things begin to happen. Never let a crisis drive you away from Him. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

 

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