“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.” Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG
When I look back to New Years Day last year, I remember all of my hopes and dreams for the future. I had so many ideas about what 2020 would hold, I was brimming with excitement, I had my freshly crafted “2020 Goals” list and I was ready to take on the world with my colored pens and Kate Spade planner.
My husband and I had planned to go on a trip for our anniversary in the first week of March. You probably already know where this is going. We had to cancel our trip because we were hearing a lot about the Corona Virus and at that point I remember thinking it probably wasn’t that serious and it would be kind of fun to be at home for two weeks. We had no idea what that would turn into.
Pretty quickly, life as we knew it had completely changed.
For a while, I was trying to find news sources I could trust, looking to research, hoping to understand, and wondering what about me? What about my goals for the year?
What about all of the dreams and visions I felt like God had placed on my heart, were they now put on hold?
I watched the world look to understand, and pretty soon watched the world argue over understanding. Whose point of view was more accurate, who understood the most and the best?
This virus reminded everyone all at once that we aren’t in control, and we don’t understand.
I find peace in the fact that we aren’t meant to. We were not made to be all-knowing or understanding. We aren’t supposed to see the full picture, because it would only overwhelm us and confuse us.
We don’t need to know. We just need to trust in God, whose ways we can submit to, and whose leading we can trust. Even in 2020, even in 2021.
I made a pretty ambitious list of goals for 2020. When things felt like they were out of my control, I thought there was no way they would be accomplished.
God used what was a difficult circumstance to change the trajectory for my life in powerful ways that He might not have been able to convince me of otherwise. He used a crazy, worldwide thing that felt like a set back to most of us, to force us all to look to Him, to listen to His voice and to rely on Him to keep us on track.
When we trust Him, when we listen to Him, He keeps us on track.
I saw that promise fulfilled over the last year, and I hope you did too. But if you didn’t, I want to remind you of this simple yet profound truth. If you feel overwhelmed, out of control, or confused. That’s ok.
I’ve been staring at a blank page for weeks trying to come up with my goals for the next year. I don’t know what to expect for 2021. I don’t understand why or how things happened the way they did in the last year, but I know God’s promise is to keep us on track when we rely on Him.
You were not meant to understand. You don’t need to know. You don’t need to have a step by step plan. You don’t need to figure everything out on your own.
Listen to His voice. He’s going to keep you on track, he understands so we don’t have to.
Journaling Prompts:
-Write about a circumstance that isn’t what you expected. How can you see God at work in it?
-Think of a time in the past where you didn’t feel “on track.” How did God redeem it?
-What is one area where you don’t understand or know what to do? What would looking to trust God look like in that area?
Action Step:
Think of a way you can remind yourself that you don’t have to fully understand but can choose to trust God instead. You might want to write this passage down in a place where you will see it regularly, like on your calendar or in a planner.
Prayer:
Hey God, thank you for being a God who fully understands and knows everything. Help us to release ourselves from the pressure to know or understand, and to instead rely on your Spirit for understanding. Remind us this week that you will keep us on track and help us to lean on your voice and to trust in you. Amen.
For free weekly devos delivered directly to your inbox, subscribe!
Comments