“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:”
Psalms 37:3-5 NIV
I want comfort. God wants me to hold trust.
I want security. God wants me to trust Him.
I want God. At the end of my wrangling, I choose Him. I want God more than I want what I want.
So I bend my knees. It’s my choice to surrender. And I do it. I already know that I will choose God and His will over my own desires for comfort and security.
But still after all these years, I wrangle. I wrestle my feelings, my doubts, and my insecurities. I fight to take captive thoughts that don’t come from God. I take control of my will and submit myself to His will.
““For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
Isaiah 55:8-12 NIV
Friend, what is it that you want?
Do you want what you want more than you want God?
It’s a worthy question.
Ponder with me.
Definition: confession is an acknowledgment of what is true.
Do you believe God’s words are true?
Do you believe His character is good?
Do you believe He alone is trustworthy?
Then agree with Him that these things are true. This is confession. Agreeing with God about a matter is confession. Speak out in an audible voice what is true about God and about yourself.
If you’re bending knees to earth like me, just know you are not alone.
Lets pray:
Lord Jesus, you came onto the Earth, bending your knee in humility to the Father, who asked you to set aside your sovereignty and your majesty, your glory, and your perfection to pull on weak, restrictive flesh.
You are our example of surrender to the Father. You are our example of giving up comfort and purposefully taking hold of trust. You went first so that we would know how to follow.
You are tender towards us and our weakness. You delight in our confession, because our confession is simply agreeing with You, Sovereign perfection, about what is true.
So Lord Jesus, I declare what is true before You, and I stand with those who also choose to declare what is true before you.
I desire comfort, but all the comfort I could ever need is found in You. What You want for me is to trust You completely knowing I will then have everything I could ever want or need. And so, I bend my knees and confess You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And I want You, Jesus, more than I want comfort or security on my own terms.
I choose right now to embrace trust. I choose to trust You, Lord, and not seek my own comfort and security. And as I reflect on Your character, I remember that You are the source of comfort and the embodiment of security.
Thank You, Lord God, for loving me first. I love you too. amen.
Friends, I hope you prayed with me and declared what is true before the Lord. If you’re not ready to bend your knees, well, I believe He will keep waiting for you to choose. However, if your knees have touched earth in confession to God of what is true of you and Him and your life, hallelujah! I’m right there with you. Praise God His ways are better.
Eyes on Jesus and Shine,
Lisa
Pondering with Jesus:
“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”
2 Corinthians 1:2-5 NIV
As you read this passage a couple of times through, and maybe in a couple of different translations, ask the Holy Spirit to highlight particular words that teach you about God, and His character.
How does this passage of scripture help you to want to trust God more than you trust yourself or others?
Tell God, out loud, what you receive as true and ask Him to change your heart and mind in any way He desires.
This will require at least a mustard seed of trust and faith. Look, you are already making progress.
Confess your hesitation, your doubts and fears.
Ask Jesus what He wants you to know.
Ask Jesus to show you how He sees you.
Ask Jesus to give you a name by which only He calls you. Ask Him for a nickname that reminds you of His great love for you.
Thank God for spending this time with you. Thank Him for what you believe He has accomplished. Even if you don’t know the results of this communion time in full, thank Him because He is good and worthy of our praise.
Write, draw or sing to the Lord out of your thankfulness, and offer your gift to him as an aromatic sacrifice of surrender.
I bless you in your relationship with the Lord to grow, be nourished and thrive in His word and conversation with Him.
We give thanks to You God for You are good; Your steadfast love endures forever. Amen.
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