Good morning!
Welcome to your morning coffee! May our Heavenly Father take away the lie that we can do anything without His willing and loving and powerful help. Father, with you, all things are possible. So when my life is hard, hard beyond my own hope of being able to change it. You can change it. You can change me. You can, and you will. You do. Father, in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Spirit, please help us to trust you in all things, and to obey you in all things. That you would build us up, guard us, and give us rest. May this be done according to your perfect will. Amen.
Your Morning Song: "If the Lord Builds the House" by Hope Darst
Your Morning Scripture: Psalm 127:1-2
Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for He grants sleep to those he loves.
...
For most of my life I've never known what desperation tasted like, the sour, panicked, bitter, brittle flavor was a shock. I quit a job because of someone else's sin, not having a plan B, and trusting in the Lord to protect my wife and children, and I. It was a horrific, terrifying, painful choice. But it was the right choice in God's eyes, and so I did it.
And what did God do? Did I immediately get another job? Did I win the lottery or stumble into some buried treasure in my backyard? No, and no.
We waited for a week or two. Nothing. Our savings, built up over a few years, began to dwindle. Still nothing. I had to do something. I got a job at Wal-Mart to try to preserve our savings as much as I could. What happened then?
Nothing. So I kept working.
I worked. And I trusted. And I made daily, small, good choices that pleased God, and trusted Him with how it was all going to turn out. I was so tired, weary, and trying not to think to hard about how hopeless I so often felt.
But I trusted God. I trusted Him with my actions, even though I didn't understand. I trusted Him with my attitude, even though bitterness was a daily temptation. I trusted Him with my words, even though I wanted to say so many things I couldn't.
I trusted God.
Not because I thought He would make my life easy. I trusted God because He is good. And He is the only one who can bring me life and peace in my days, comfort and rest in my soul.
Trusting God is not a perfectly manicured, dainty thing that we can parade around town, showing off our trust to others.
Trusting God to build our house, our marriage, our children, our jobs, our hopes and dreams, is messy. It is heavy. It is hard. Our very flesh tugs and pulls at our born again souls, trying to rob us of our trust.
But the truth is plain. Unless God builds it, it cannot be good, it cannot last. Whatever "it" might be. Only God can guard us from anything. And only God can give His beauty-full, wonder-full rest.
As God's children. Trust Him! Entrust your life to Him. Especially if it is messy. Especially if it is hard. Do as many good works, however small, as you can. And seek only to please Him. Trusting that He will take care of you.
If we do what is right, and trust our Father, we will be accepted. We will be built up. We will be guarded. We will be covered in His rest.
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