“The remarkable thing about God is
that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not
fear God, you fear everything else.” ~Oswald Chambers
Life has so many crazy moments; and its
the moments when I am afraid, that I tend to see God's hand most
busily at work behind the scenes. Fortunately for me I have been
blessed to have grown up in a family of strong believers. And over
the years have seen God provide, and do many things, in supernatural
ways. Yet here I am, 20 years old, and still tend to find myself
questioning whether God knows what he is doing when it comes to
orchestrating my life and providing. Little finite me standing before
my creator and giving him “the business”.
Every time I think like this...I can
just imagine God (my heavenly husband) reaching down from heaven,
gently cupping my face in his hand, and saying, “Your so cute when
you worry...but fear not darling, I will provide for you...this is
the vow I made to you when you and I stepped into oneness together.”
It's a reminder of my heavenly wedding day. Standing before my whole
church and listening as God recited his marital vows to me.
“I, Jesus Christ, take you,
Courtney, to be my friend, my lover, and my wife. I will be yours in
times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in
times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of
failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect
you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay
with you, for all eternity.”
In God's word Christ vows to give us
purpose (Jeremiah 29:11), strengthen us (Isaiah 40:29-31), give us
rest (Matthew 11:28-29), care for us (Philippians 4:19), give us
peace (Proverbs 1:33), and many other things, just like an earthly
husband would do. And no matter how I react to his ideas...upset,
sad, worried, anxious...he still looks at me with that soft gaze and
reminds me that all is well when I am with him. That if I just trust
Him...he will be with me in both good and bad times, triumphs and
failures...and in short, keep his word to take care of me even when I
may doubt his ability.
Jumping back in time to when I was a
girl in braids (oh wait I still wear them)...I was just like every
other little girl dreaming of her knight in shining armor. Someone
who was handsome, strong, and who I knew was capable of taking care
of me. Being my provider no matter the cost. Which is why I married
a man who owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:9-10). Now
you may say...”Courtney! You are so strange! You contradict
yourself...first you say you fear that God wont keep his
promises...and now you say that you are married to a man who is
loaded?! Why are you worrying?”
Let me take you back to the garden of
Eden in Genesis chapter 3:1-3, it says, “Now the serpent was more
crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to
the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree
in the garden’? ” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat
fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not
eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you
must not touch it, or you will die.’” I want to draw your
attention to the words Eve says...she said, “but God DID SAY...”
she KNEW what God had told her and yet when doubt came bounding up
the stairs to knock at the door...she slowly let the thoughts seep in
and finally caved under the pressure. Many times I find this is what
happens to me...I will get a word from God that tells me to move in
faith and trust for his provision. At that time, I am fully confident
that God can do all that he says...BUT as the days go by I start to
listen to the people around me. They all tend to have advice that is
from a great heart...but it sometimes contradicts or causes me to
doubt what God told me in the first place.
Now please hear my heart in this...I am
all about testing what you feel God is telling you. But please do
not try and find your answers in the human logic of this world, or
from a specific (to us “all-intelligent”) person. Really, who do
you think can give you the best answer? The creation or the creator?
GOD IS NOT DEAD! When will we, the church, wake up and realize that
our husband is waiting to hear from us...waiting for us to step
forward, be honest and say...I have doubts but I know what you
promised...but I trust you to take care of me no matter where I am,
or how things look. I know you provide and you see my need. Thank You
for being the perfect husband!”
So for those of you out there right now
who feel like God made you a promise to provide and yet things looks
hopeless. No matter how ridiculous/impossible it may sound, stand on
it! Test it by asking God to confirm it. 2 Corinthians 13:1 says, “In
the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”
(KJV) My prayer is that you will be encouraged and grab your heavenly
husbands hand and say, “I am all in, no matter the cost!” It is
normal to fear the plans God has for your life...just don't let them
become the focus and lead you to doubt. Let God, your husband be the
focus...and watch as he brings to pass all that he has promised to do
in your life.
In the end...what do you really have to
lose?
