In seeking the Lord to meet our needs, going from abiding to striving isn’t difficult.
Recently, I had a serious medical event and developed a massive blood clot that affected blood flow into my lungs. I caught it just in time, and, with medication, I am recuperating nicely. I will have medical bills because of my hospital stay, coupled with the loss of income from several weeks of not working.
During my recuperation, the compressor on our heat pump died, and we have a significant repair bill. At the same time, the recent nor’easter came through the east coast of the United States and damaged our roof, which we may have to replace. We also had to hire someone to clean up our wooded lot that I usually take care of. For a while, I was afraid to get up in the morning for fear of what else might come down the pike.
I prayed and thought about calling others and asking them to pray. Then, the Lord gave me this Scripture and with it a gentle rebuke: Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Getting people to pray is always good, but, due to our unbelief, we can major on exercising faith rather than resting in it. The former leads to striving and the latter to abiding. Peace is always the by-product of abiding faith.
Are you striving or abiding over your needs today? The absence or the presence of peace will answer this question for you.
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Ken Barnes has had a twenty-five year career in educational pursuits. He has taught in various public and private schools in Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and Virginia. He also worked for seventeen years with Youth With A Mission as a school leader, recruiter, and director. Ken holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the author of The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places. He currently is a speaker, blogger, and freelance writer. Ken lives with his wife Sharon in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Visit Ken at https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/