Facing Problems With Confidence (2)
Friday February 14, 2014
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. (Jeremiah 29:11-12 NIV)
One of our problems in our instantaneous modern society is that we expect solving every problem to be quick and easy. If something isn’t resolved quickly we leave it and move on to something else. It's difficult for us to have the patience to stay with a problem until we see a breakthrough, and that's why we need God's help.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)
God is never in a hurry. He never quits or runs out of patience. He will deal with us about one particular thing, and then He will let us rest for a while—but never for too long. Soon He will begin to work on something else. He will continue until, one by one, our knots are all untied. When it seems that we're not making any progress, it's because the Lord is patiently untying our knots one at a time.
If you’ve ever tried to untangle a knotted up ball of necklaces you know that in our haste we may be looking at one knot we want to be untied rather than looking to see where we can most easily loosen the tangles. Sometimes one small move is the key to untangling a great deal of the jumble. We have to be willing to work with what’s available and trust that the other parts will follow in time.
God is working with us to untangle the problems in our life in much the same way. He knows which difficulty or which wounding in us needs working with now. He will draw our attention there and help us there if we will let Him. If we follow God’s plans and focus on what He leads us to, we will find that many other problems simply melt away.
Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6 NIV)
It may be hard, and it may take time, but if we will commit ourselves to God and His plan for our recovery, sooner or later we will see great victory in our life and experience the freedom we have desired for so long. The important thing to remember is: no matter how long it takes, never give up. God is with us. God will complete His work of transformation in us.
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