WordCosmos

Life is filled with uncertainties and having a plan B or an alternate plan seem to be the wise thing to do. A little pinch of faith here and there fuels the vehicles of our actions, and our alternate plan, a brief soothing oil to the scars gotten from the monstrous claws of fear- “the what if’s?”. Questions like the rushing waves of the seas arise within us-the fierceness of the waves preludes our sense of safety- what if the waves overflood the shores? We forget that there is One who sets the boundary of the seas, so that its waters would not overstep His command, He did so when He appointed the foundations of the earth (Proverbs 8:29).

In our moment of despair, we turn to the one we think we know best- “Our self”. We think ourself can somehow manoeuvre to create the safety and accomplishment we need. This ourself is self-sufficient, knows and can learn how to create stuff, has friends, family, is intelligent, is grounded financially, can make the decisions needed: In all, we choose to follow and trust in “ourself”. What more? Our self- confidence blinds us to the limitations of “the self”. The result? We find ourselves in the cocoon of a vicious circle of things contrary to the will of God for us, with no way out. This circle goes on and on, and if finally, we are able to catch our breath, we then realise how bad things have gotten. But why? We might wonder. We thought we had it going all this time. We find that we have no answer to the “what ifs”, that the only answer is TRUST IN THE LORD with all your heart (Proverbs 3:5-6).

There is a passage of the bible that keeps me humble and fuels my trust in God. You might be familiar with it as well- “Not by power, nor by might, but by My Spirit says the Lord of host” (Zachariah 4:6). God should always be the first one you go to for help before anything or anyone else. Don’t make a habit of going to him after everything else fails- because by then, things could really have gotten pretty bad. Martha said to Jesus “my brother Lazarus wouldn’t have died if you were here” (John 11:21). She had it in mind to go first to God. But what Martha didn’t realize was that God was present all the time, He knew when what seemed to be the end for Lazarus came and just at that point, he chose to show up. Sometimes God lets you exhaust your options, even after you’ve gone to Him in prayers. In moments like this you begin to think that He isn’t present anymore, why hasn’t He answered your prayers? Why hasn’t He healed you? Perhaps Abraham felt the same way as he waited for the promise-Isaac. He wants you to know that with Him all things are possible (Mathew 9:26).

You are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and every other thing shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). This also implies going to God first, seeking Him first in the midst of adversities.

A lot of occurrences as documented in the bible tells us of people who sought the Lord first, and He didn’t let them down. An example is found in 2 chronicles 13:13-18. It talks of how God delivered Judah from the hands of Israel in a battle. Jeroboam the ruler of Israel had set an ambush for Judea. And in the moment of despair the first thing Judah did was to cry unto the Lord. And as they gave a shout, the Lord smote Jeroboam and Israel before Judah. Verse 18 says “Thus the children of Israel was brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed because they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers.” Judah could have been crushed to dust save for they sought the Lord first.

Another story is found in 1 Samuel 30:6 when David and his men found out that Ziklag which was a town given to David by Achish the king of the philistines, had been raided by the Amalekites and all the women and children taken captive. “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” And after this something happened; in verse 8, David enquired of the Lord God gave His word to David “Pursue for you shall surely overtake and without fail recover all.” David obeyed the word of the Lord and God Restored all they had lost.

Do you also wonder how to know what to do next after you’ve gone to God in prayer? The answer is-BE STILL. Stillness is the quieting of the soul by choosing to only believe, accept and meditate upon what God is saying to you. By so doing you, block of every other voice that is contrary to the voice of God. Stillness shouldn’t be confused with silence. Silence is blocking off external distractions- that is why we close our eyes when we pray. On the other hand, you can only be still if you TRUST God enough on the faithfulness of His word. When you are still, you communicate to God that He is your only resolution.

In stillness God gives guidance, He begins to work in miraculous ways. But how do you discern when His hand is at work in a situation? This is where the need of understanding arises. it is the ability to see things the way God sees them, the ability to discern the will of God. When you lack understanding, you will not recognize when God is giving you signs and guidance- you’ll probably fight against it. proverbs 4:7 states that with all thy getting, get understanding. It is understanding that lets you know that sometimes your plan B should actually have been your plan A. this understanding isn’t worldly, it is spiritually discerned and may seem foolish to the carnal mind. But now that you know, how do you get this understanding? The answer is-Just ask. For he that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth and the door shall be opened to him that knocketh!! (Mathew 7:7-8).

I pray that the Lord our God will intervene in your life today to free you of every burden and to break every yoke. May He richly grant you the understanding of times even as you decide to seek Him first today. Amen!!