As I’ve walked with God, I’ve realized the importance of trusting His plan for our lives. I’ve realized that trusting His plan is the only way that we can receive the blessings that He has for us. When we try to make our own way, we move away from His covering. Under His covering is favor and blessing, but we have to position ourselves in a manner to receive it. We have to continually turn our thoughts away from our own understanding. Because our thoughts can’t comprehend the plans that He has for us. And this is the hardest part—looking at our surroundings, but denying our own conclusions. Our circumstances will lead us to believe that we are limited in life, but when we live in the Spirit, focusing on Him, we receive the revelation that there is no limit to what He can do for us and through us.
Honestly, this has been the story of my walk with God. I am a thinker, a planner, a person that makes calculated decisions. I would say that this is a good thing; it’s great that I have a sense of the future. But, this attribute has contributed to much of my stress in life. And I think you might say the same about yourself. We worry because we don’t know what the future holds, and we stress because we can’t see a way through our trials. But I’ve realized that worry, and stress, are indications that we are not trusting in God.
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:31-34 NLT)
Scripture says that thoughts of worry dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, because our heavenly Father takes care of us; He provides everything that we need. I want us to meditate on that statement for a moment, and think about how it might reflect our walk with Christ…We might not be unbelievers; we believe in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. But, according to this scripture, when we worry, we are acting like we don’t believe God. We are acting like we don’t have a God that supplies all of our needs. We are acting like He isn’t the provider that He says He is. This is the opposite of faith. Because faith requires action, faith requires acting like God is telling the truth. When we walk in faith, we are acting on our belief that He will do what He says He will do.
Faith is acting like God’s word is true.
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. (Hebrews 11:1-2 NLT)
It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith. It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. (Hebrews 11:7-9 NLT)
Noah acted in faith when he built the boat. God spoke to him about something that had never happened before. So, I’m sure that Noah was unable to make sense of God’s instructions, based on his circumstances at the time. But, Noah chose to deny his own understanding, and he trusted that the word of God was true. Noah acted as if he believed God.
When Abraham left his home and went to a new land, he acted in faith. Abraham had no idea where God was taking him. Abraham had no tangible evidence that he would inherit the land. As a matter of fact, Abraham lived in the promised land as a foreigner; but, he had a promise from God. Abraham trusted God to bring about a promise for his descendants. Abraham chose to deny the fact that he could not see the promise; and instead, he walked by faith and trusted that God would bring it to past.
Noah and Abraham didn’t have faith because they believed God; they had faith because they acted like they believed God. Their actions proved their faith.
These two men are known for their stories of extraordinary faith. As we read about them, we see that they dropped everything and followed God’s instructions, without question. But, I also want to take a look at another person know for his extraordinary faith, and that is Moses. His story includes many of the well known miracles in the bible, but his journey of faith began a little differently than the others. While we see Noah and Abraham obey God immediately, without questions, we can’t say the same is true of Moses, because he definitely questioned God.
But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” (Exodus 4:10-12 NLT)
Moses protested the plan of God multiple times. And it’s not that he questioned God’s strength, Moses struggled with feeling insecure about himself. Every time Moses pleaded with God, he was acting in the fear that he didn’t have what it takes. And because of this, he didn’t believe that God could use him. Moses believed that his deficiencies were his limitations. Isn’t this how we react to the plan of God? He speaks words of healing and prosperity over an area of our lives, but we funnel the likeliness of actually receiving His promises through our current situation. Or maybe He wants us to walk in faith towards purpose, but we filter our chances of success through our abilities, or lack thereof. But our limitations are not limitations to God. When we walk according to His plan, He provides the grace that covers us.
He already knows what we struggle with. He knows what we can and can’t do. So if he calls us, He intends to enable us. He intends to provide everything that we need to accomplish the plan that He has for us.
God sends provision as we need it.
This is something that God has shown me over and over as I have walked with Him. He is a God that fills in the gap. What am I talking about? The gap is the distance between your abilities and what it will take to achieve the desired outcome. I’m not just taking about our individual attributes, whether or not we have the aptitude to do something. I’m taking about provision. I’m taking about not having enough to get the job done. Whether that is finances or time. Whether that is physical ability or mental strength. Whatever it is, He fills in the gap. There have been so many instances where I have worried about something in the future, something that I felt like I would not be able to accomplish based on my current situation. But I have learned that God sends provision as we need it. Each time I arrived at the situation that I was previously worried about, I realized that God had everything already waiting for me. I realized that I was worried about something that He would take care of, when the time came. This is why Jesus told us not to worry in Matthew chapter 6. We should not worry about what tomorrow brings. God is our provider, He will provide us with tomorrows needs, tomorrow.
The limitations that we are worried about, He already has a remedy for.
But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.” Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do. Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say. (Exodus 4:13-16 NLT)
Moses was worried that he would not be able to communicate with Pharaoh effectively, but God already had a remedy. As Moses was worried about his deficiencies, his brother was already on the way to meet him. God knew Moses’ strengths and weaknesses, and He was prepared to meet Moses at the level of his abilities. All God required was all that Moses had. God was not requiring him to be something that he wasn’t. God said, if you give me what you have, and do what you can do, I will do the rest.
And this is what God says to us. He does not expect us to be someone that we are not. He expects us to use what He has give us, and He expects us to trust that He will provide the rest. When God speaks to us, and asks us to do something outside of our comfort zone, we don’t have to worry about our limitations. Our Father knows us; He made us. In fact, He made us to meet a specific need in the earth. He designed us to be who He needs us to be. And through His Spirit, we are enabled to accomplish things beyond our own strength. We lack nothing when we walk with Him.
There is no limit to what God can do through us.
Our limits are only limits if we allow them to be. Our outcome is based on our perspective. Will we focus on who we think we are, or will we allow Him to show us who He created us to be? Will we trust in our abilities, or will we trust that anything is possible because the God of the universe goes before us?
When we think of those that walked in faith, we must remember that they, too, had a choice to make. Even Moses struggled with his limitations; but, he allowed God to cover them. Moses allowed God to fill in the gap between his abilities and the promise. It was a choice. Moses could have turned his back on the plan of God, but he didn’t. Moses reasoned that as long as God was with Him, He would walk forward in faith.
Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.” (Exodus 33:15-16 NLT)
Because Moses understood his limitations, he knew that the only way to enter the promised land was with the presence of God. His presence changes everything. When He is with us, our limitations become the foundation of our testimony. They become the reason that the power of God shines through us; they are the reason that He gets the glory out of our lives.
Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NLT)
I love how Paul expressed this. He’s saying that we can only be strong when we are weak. If we think about all the miracles that God performed through people in the bible, we are astonished not because of the person’s strengthens, but because of their weaknesses. We are amazed that David defeated Goliath because he was much smaller than his opponent, and he lacked military experience. We are amazing that Daniel survived the lions den because he wasn’t strong enough to survive on his own. We are astonished that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego survived the blazing furnace because they were bound at the hands of the king. We are astonished that Joseph became second in command in Egypt because of every trial that he faced. Their weaknesses, not their strengths, are the reason they are known for their faith. And as we can see through their lives, our weakness are not our limitations. In fact, our weaknesses are prerequisites to being used by God.
Our weaknesses are the reason there is no limit.
Our areas of weakness lead us to depend on the One that is limitless. There is nothing that is impossible for God.
Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” (Matthew 19:26 NLT)
For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37 NKJV)
We can do anything only because He can do everything. As we walk in faith, towards His plan for our lives, He enables us to do the impossible. This is why Paul was able to walk in such confidence, as he spread the gospel to the gentiles. It wasn’t because he was qualified, it was because he was unqualified. Paul knew that he could do anything because he had the strength of his Lord and Savior.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)
There is no limit to what God can do through us.
We have to see ourselves through this light. We have to know that the God that formed us intends to turn our weaknesses into strengths. He intends to show himself strong in our lives, to get the glory out of our impossible situations, but we have to be willing to give our weaknesses to Him. That’s what Moses did. He was afraid, but he took his fears to God. We don’t have to hold our weaknesses in, we can take them to the God that sends His grace ahead of us, because He already knows anyways. He knows what we struggle in, but He also knows exactly what we need to be successful in the call that He’s placed on our lives. So as we trust Him, and act on our belief that His word in true, He takes the limits off of us. He sends the remedy ahead of us, so that when we get there, we are met by His grace. He shows up for us, and provides the tools that we need to walk in purpose. And His word says that He will never leave us, nor forsake us. So, we can walk confidently into His promise, knowing that we are strong, in Him.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for creating me the way that I am. Your word says that you knew me before I was in my mother’s womb, and that you have a specific plan for my life. And I know that that plan is better than anything I could ever imagine. So Father, send your Spirit to direct my steps. If I have stepped outside of your plan, send your grace to guide me into the middle of your will. And as I walk in faith, I thank you that you have already sent your grace ahead of me. Thank you for reminding me that I don’t have to be perfect, I just have to be who you created me to be. You know my strengths and weaknesses, and I trust that you will fill in the gaps, so that I can do all things that you have called me to do. Thank you for supplying all of my needs. Thank you for giving me the strength, the desire, and the ability to do what pleases you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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