Week
3 Obey and Partake
Day 19
Release
The Lord shall
prevent the evil thou fearest, and sanctify, remove, or lighten the evil thou
feelest. He will preserve the soul, that it be not defiled by sin, and
disturbed by affliction; he will preserve it from perishing eternally. He will
keep thee in life and death; going out to thy labor in the morning of thy days,
and coming home to thy rest when the evening of old age calls thee in. It is a
protection for life.[i]
Matthew Henry
~~~
S
|
ometimes we fear the Lord will call us to serve in places
where we very much do not want to go, or that He may call us to do work we feel
unequipped to handle. We must remember God doesn't need us to be strong; He only
needs us willing to be used by Him; He calls us where we are, just as we are. Remember
Gideon's words, "My clan is the weakest...and I am the least in my
family..."[ii] And
yet through Gideon the Lord defeated a terrifying foe.
We cling tightly to our own ideas
of what the future should be, and the release of our ways for the Lord’s can be
difficult if we focus more upon what we’ve given up for Christ rather than upon
what He gave up for us. It is focus upon the Lord that fuels obedience.
There may be a grieving process to
traverse as we exchange our own hopes and dreams for the Lord’s. We can’t fully
see His purposes, and so the release of our agenda for His must take place
through faith in His power to protect and provide. In order to move forward, we
must take a good look at what we are placing on the altar. If we count the
cost, there will be less room for the confusion of conflicting loyalties
later. When the devil waves one of our old delusions of grandeur in front
of our faces we can say "Oh, I put that on the altar. It isn't mine anymore;
it is the Lord's. You'll have to talk to Him about that."
Our Lord means us good and not
harm, and great blessing is in store for those who set their hearts on
obedience.
Pray: Lord, I release my will to You. I
release to You these things I do not want to do, labors I do not want to
perform, journeys I do not want to take. I give You permission to work in
my heart and mind to transform my will to match Yours. Your will, not mine
be done. I entrust myself, my loved ones, my past, my present moment, and
my future into Your hands. Amen.
~~~
What
joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a
pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will
become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with
blessings. They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear
before God in Jerusalem.
Psalm 84:5-7 NLT
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