Running Away from What Unsettles Me
I don’t remember where I heard it recently, but someone said something like, “why do you think it’s so easy to fill our time with distractions? … Because there are things in our life that we can’t explain or fix or solve & so it unsettles us… & that unsettling is uncomfortable… so it feels easier to cover that up with comforting distractions, so we’re not left alone with those thoughts that don’t make us feel great.”
It’s true, isn’t it? At least for me.
Trusting One Minute… Forgetting the Next
Deviating for a second, it reminds me of the Israelites in Exodus 15. They go from singing a song of praise, worshipping & thanking God for His unbelievable, miraculous victory in their great rescue-against-all-odds from the Egyptians, to, in the end of the very same chapter… complaining & whining that God brought them out there to die because they hadn’t found drinkable water.
Like, I’m sorry, what? You literally just listed out all these amazing, impossible-for-human deeds that God accomplished… & instead of trusting that same God & turning to Him to ask for help finding water… they inwardly worry & grumble until it’s not so inwardly & then they’re BLAMING Moses for helping lead them to their freedom.
But don’t I do that exact same shift in my shying away from the unsettling things of my heart? When I self-soothe, numb, avoid, distract… instead of recognizing that He is the SAME God Who has done such miraculous work in my life & then saying, “Oh yeah, God, I need to be bringing this to YOU & trusting that YOU can do more with it than I know what to do with it.”
Praising God & then forgetting all He is & all He can do just a moment later.
What am I Holding That He Can More Than Handle?
What heaviness looms over me or follows me each day just simply because I’ve been trying to avoid how uncomfortable it makes me feel just thinking about it instead of going to God for help with it?
What anxiety makes me uncomfortable around every turn & keeps me walking on eggshells in life simply because I haven’t prayed about it & trusted that God has an answer & His strength to carry me through it?
What nervousness needs to be laid at His feet to trust He can fill where I can’t possibly?
What Is It for You?
Maybe it’s a failure I feel stuck in.
Maybe it’s the opinions of others I feel stuck in.
Maybe it’s a scary decision I feel paralyzed by.
Maybe it’s a step forward that makes me really super uncomfortable.
What is it for you? What do you fight to avoid? What hovers over your head no matter how hard you fight to ignore it? What festers underneath the surface? What hides behind your smile?
Why haven’t you yet handed that over to Him?
Failing Forward… Trusting Him as Enough
It doesn’t mean you’ll automatically be perfect & get it right, but it does certainly mean that you trust to leave it up to Him… to leave it in His capable hands… in His capable timing.
He made us free to be free indeed. (John 8:34-36) Don’t live as if He didn’t set you free & as if He can’t do immeasurably more than you ask or think. (Ephesians 3:14-21) We will face troubles in this world, but we can have confidence knowing He has overcome this world. (John 16:33) Jesus sacrificed much for us, not so we could live imprisoned in our own minds, but that we may see abundant life, knowing He died to show His love for us. (John 10:9-10) And if He died for us, how much more can we entrust everything else to Him? (Romans 8:31-39; Matthew 6:26, 33)
To REST in Him & trusting He has it all just fine.
Made to Crave… HIM
I have been going through the Made to Crave devotional by Lysa TerKeurst, & she says how she began praying something to upset her status quo, to challenge the fear, anxiety, & worry that kept her from stepping out of her chains & into a life that trusted God to give victory as she sought His face.
The prayer was, “God, unsettle me.”
And then, in church yesterday, our pastor talked about how we ought to seek God’s kingdom first, trusting God can handle all the things that worry us.
We don’t need to hide from God. Jesus paid it all already.
We don’t need to hide from our problems. God is fully capable.
We need to be seeking after Him & trusting Him to be fully capable of filling in the rest.
“God, Unsettle Me…”
“God, please unsettle me. Shake me out of the nooks & crannies of my life where I have chosen to hide from things that feel uncomfortable. Help me to step out & into them, knowing You go before me. I don’t need to hide because You are already there. You see. You have a plan. You can do what I cannot. You have it all figured out. You rescuing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt didn’t even depend on the Pharaoh making it easy & caving right away, but even in Your hardening of His heart, making it seem impossible & hopeless… You showed nothing is beyond Your reach or Your ability. I can trust You to rescue me out of the much smaller things I fear & avoid. You are the same God yesterday, today, & tomorrow. I can count on You. Thank You that You never give up on me. Thank You that You are so gentle & patient & kind with me, even when I hide things or avoid them rather than trusting You with them. You know better & yet You wait patiently for me to come to You. You beckon, but You never force. You forgive, but You never shame. Thank You for being so much better than me. Thank You for always being ready when I come. Thank You that I can count on You for what feels far beyond me. I love You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”
From Numbing Distractions to Finding Freedom
Where does God need to unsettle you?
What are you avoiding because it feels too uncomfortable to think about?
Where in your life do you need the reminder to turn from numbing distractions to finding freedom in the God Who goes before you… the God who CAN where you can’t… the God Who cares enough that sparing His Son was not an option for Him.
He gave His all so you could know Him.
So you could be forgiven of it ALL.
So you could find hope where hope was unavailable.
So you could see He loves you more than you will ever be able to wrap your head around.
What great lengths. What great love.
We can trust Him in anything that unsettles us….
So, let us all say together, “God, unsettle me,” & let us trust Him to supply.
Shine HOPE by running from those distractions into His loving arms… from numbing distractions to finding freedom.
Coming Next Week
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Peace Bracelet (EAST ASIA)
Help women escape brothels in East Asia when you purchase the Peace Bracelet! This blue-toned phoenix stone and hematite beaded bracelet includes the word “PEACE” for a fun, fair-trade look! Easy to dress up or down for daily wear, the Peace Bracelet is the perfect bracelet to add to your bracelet stack.
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Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!
