Thought for the Day: I will trust and obey my Lord and my God.
The year felt hard. My work as an author overwhelmed me. My shoulders and spirit sagged under the burden of what I felt called to do.
Long sighs forced air into my lungs after my thoughts pressed it out of me. Christmas neared and my heart hung heavy, not like the light-hearted child of God I am.
God spoke to my heart through a friend. “Your body is telling you that you’re doing too much. You need to rest.”
I heard the truth and embraced it with the grumpiness of a child being told it’s time for bed. Despite my “I don’t want to” attitude, I went to bed early and slept nine hours, more than I’d slept in one night all year.
We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)
I recalled my husband’s words as we looked at the flowering bush in our yard one December morning. When he said, “It continues to bloom,” I realized my faith blooms as I obey God and control every thought to conform to His will.
Praise you, God, for your daily encouragement. You are the Creator of all beauty and life. Praise you, O wonderful Counselor, for your wisdom and truth that blooms in my heart.
When I finished praising Him, I noticed I was smiling.
My heart lifted like a joyful child. I analyzed what just happened. I’d been obedient to His word of truth spoken through a friend. I rested my body, the temple of the Lord. The morning light filled that temple with grace and beauty. My spirit sang its praise. The overwhelm and exhaustion and my focus on my shortcomings disappeared with the dark of night.
This practice of obeying God as He directs my life confirmed this Corinthians Scripture of taking captive everything thought to make it obedient to Christ. I heard Isaiah’s proclamation in my soul: “See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV).
More Scripture verses bubbled up in my mind like sparkling water.
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me.” Psalm 28:7 (NIV)
His directive to rest my body shielded me from my burdensome thoughts and gave me strength for this new day. Praise God and His blessings! If you trust Him as a wise teacher, He shows over and over how His directives are for our own good. Make the effort to give Him your ear and obedience, even if it’s grudging like mine. When God shows me my childlike need to trust and obey Him, I learn once again to surrender my will to His.
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
PRAYER: Dear God, help me control my thoughts by obeying you and enjoying your gifts of peace and joy that continue to bloom. Amen.