Letting God take the lead

As I sit at my computer today I’ve (1) felt at a loss about what to write for this week’s post, (2) have started and deleted three post ideas, and (3) wondered out loud where all the inspiration that has *flowed* through me the last couple of weeks has gone.

So, here we are. Blog post #15 with me sitting here and wondering if I’ll have enough words to fill the page. Where to start?

Let’s see.

I recently started a new devotional, Live by Faith from She Reads Truth, focused on Hebrews 11. In this week’s podcast, Amanda and Raechel described the chapter as a “Hall of Faith” of sorts that focuses on some of the best-known Biblical figures who lived by faith.

Noah, Abraham, Moses.

These are just some of the names listed in Hebrews 11. Each story is different but identical in that they were willing to believe in a God who radically transformed their lives, all because they put their faith in Him.

Faith.

That’s a word that keeps resonating with me lately.

Earlier this week as I was driving to pick up my sister, I sat in my car in silence, overwhelmed by the noise I was feeling in my head. I had tried worship music but it only made the noise louder. And honestly, I needed a moment of quiet to simply ask God, “What is going on in my life and what do you want from it?”

So I did just that. I’m not much of a verbal prayer-er (is that even a word?). I tend to internalize my prayers, but I needed to get the overwhelming feelings out of my system. So I took in the silence and out loud started asking God the question above and more, a lot more. And in my conversation with God, I asked for the following: for Him, not me, to take the lead in my life and future decisions. For Him to quiet my head and calm my soul. For Him to allow me to internally compartmentalize, even if just for five minutes so I could think clearly.

At that moment I made a conscious decision to lay it all at the cross because I was getting nowhere trying to run the show by myself.

Faith.

We live in a society where people are now turning to things like ChatGPT for answers only God can provide. Only God can bring you out of despair. Only God can give you the peace you’re seeking in an incredibly loud world.

But there’s only one way we can have it all (and by all I don’t mean the material things of this world, but the peace of heart and mind we all need), and that’s by faith in Him.

Like the Biblical figures I mentioned earlier, we need to live with faith at the forefront of our minds, even when we have no idea what God is doing in our lives or why the things around us are taking place.

Hebrews 11:1 reads in the NKJV translation, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

The CSB translation reads: “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.”

And though I typically don’t read the MSG translation, I decided to look it up and was floored with its translation of Hebrews 11:1: “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.”

“Firm foundation.” That’s what God offers us, what He offers you and me. A firm foundation.

I don’t have the answers for the things I’m experiencing, and I’m guessing you may not either. But can I encourage you to leave it at the cross today? Maybe try verbalizing your prayer like I did, being specific in your requests to God.

He hears you, He knows you, He loves you, and He knows what He’s doing.

Because we have put our faith in Him, we know that whatever happens tomorrow, everything will be okay.

See you next week, friends.