"Trust the Lord with all your heart." - check
"Lean not on your own understanding." - check. Sorta. I'm trying but I keep trying to understand. It's a delicate balance most days.
"In all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight." I wonder what a straight path looks like. Does it mean no surprises? Is it like those roads in TX where you can see for miles and miles? Submit...hm....
I've heard this word many times before. Submit.
My current understanding of this word is best described as a yield sign. In traffic you yield the right of way. Not because you feel some weird need to be a doormat or because you're being nice but because this makes the flow of traffic work. You're not giving up anything you're contributing to the ease of traffic. Makes sense to me. Nine times out of ten I wish most stop signs were yields. Oh and for those of you who come to a full stop at a yield sign, stop it.
"Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil." Interesting. I'm good with not being wise in my own eyes. I'm constantly asking for God's wisdom. I know just enough to realize I know NOTHING. As for fearing the Lord..... this puzzles me.
I heard once that fear here meant respect. So let's check the other translations and see if it sheds some light on the situation.
King James, fear.
Message, well the Message doesn't do strict verse so...."Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!"
To muddy the waters a bit more, Amplified reads, "reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] from evil."
So fear.
When I think fear I naturally go to being afraid. I'm thinking that means.....but wait right before fear was - you know nothing. So now I'm puzzled again. I truly don't believe I'm supposed to be afraid of the Lord but I am reduced to a puddle thinking about the breath and width of His capabilities. If you were to combine Hulk's strength, Thor's good looks, Iron Man's awesomeness, Captain America's.....you'd be ridiculous. God made the whole freaking universe. From scratch. Take that Iron Man.
My app this morning was set to NIV so that's were I started but not that I've seen this in the Message I dont' want to go back.
"Trust God from the bottom of your heart;" That sounds more like it. Check.
"don't try to figure out everything on your own." I can see He was expecting me. I'll work on it. I will listen to the Holy Spirit. I will.
"Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track." This is where I am. This is where I'm trying to live.
So I'm laying around napping and wondering if I'm doing it right. Sure, I'm supposed to be resting because I have Mono but I also just got my Real Estate's license and started working. Sorta. I mean I've gone into the office and had business cards made. I told some people.
Seems to me this is a perfect time to be - Listening for God's voice in everything I do and everywhere I'm going. Kinda feels like I'm missing something because I'm getting to take naps and do laundry.
Makes me wonder. Waiting on the Lord. Am I supposed to be doing something? Or is trusting hard because waiting is hard?
I'm a military wife. We're called to wait all the freaking time. So I know that I hate waiting. As I mulling on this I picture myself in a giant Dr.'s office. Green plastic sofa's gathered around low round coffee tables. Not a bright green but somewhere between puke and not quite sage. Meant to be timeless and classic but just wrong. On the coffee tables for our waiting pleasure are magazines that you would never touch on a regular day. Articles about how to stay regular after 40 or parenting tips to avoid disciplining your toddler. Ugh. Makes me think Catholics might be on to something with this purgatory. It's called waiting.
Interestingly this is when the brilliance of this passage hits me. God also added the parts about how I know nothing and I need to fear Him. He knew all along that this waiting thing is difficult.
Look at poor Sarah and Abraham. She got tired of waiting on the the Lord and told her husband to get the maid pregnant. How'd that work out?
Jonah decided he wasn't going to listen and he thought he knew better. God reminded him of the Fear we are to show the Lord and stuffed him in a whale for a few days. I'd rather not warrant such extremes.
So I'm waiting on the Lord. I'm wondering how in the world I'm supposed to feel productive while being so passive. It's new. It's crazy. I'm going to make sure that everyone knows that's where I am.
I'm yielding all to God. Giving Him right of way.
I'm waiting on the Lord in my new job.
I'm waiting on the Lord in my marriage.
I'm waiting on the Lord for my everything.
While weird, I'm telling you, if feels good. I'm not stressed out over Christmas. I'm excited about the opportunities God is preparing just for me. I'm feeling rested and at peace. In December, crazy right?
Plus I'm digging the promises in the following verses. They are good in every translation.
"Lean not on your own understanding." - check. Sorta. I'm trying but I keep trying to understand. It's a delicate balance most days.
"In all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight." I wonder what a straight path looks like. Does it mean no surprises? Is it like those roads in TX where you can see for miles and miles? Submit...hm....
I've heard this word many times before. Submit.
My current understanding of this word is best described as a yield sign. In traffic you yield the right of way. Not because you feel some weird need to be a doormat or because you're being nice but because this makes the flow of traffic work. You're not giving up anything you're contributing to the ease of traffic. Makes sense to me. Nine times out of ten I wish most stop signs were yields. Oh and for those of you who come to a full stop at a yield sign, stop it.
"Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil." Interesting. I'm good with not being wise in my own eyes. I'm constantly asking for God's wisdom. I know just enough to realize I know NOTHING. As for fearing the Lord..... this puzzles me.
I heard once that fear here meant respect. So let's check the other translations and see if it sheds some light on the situation.
King James, fear.
Message, well the Message doesn't do strict verse so...."Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!"
To muddy the waters a bit more, Amplified reads, "reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] from evil."
So fear.
When I think fear I naturally go to being afraid. I'm thinking that means.....but wait right before fear was - you know nothing. So now I'm puzzled again. I truly don't believe I'm supposed to be afraid of the Lord but I am reduced to a puddle thinking about the breath and width of His capabilities. If you were to combine Hulk's strength, Thor's good looks, Iron Man's awesomeness, Captain America's.....you'd be ridiculous. God made the whole freaking universe. From scratch. Take that Iron Man.
My app this morning was set to NIV so that's were I started but not that I've seen this in the Message I dont' want to go back.
"Trust God from the bottom of your heart;" That sounds more like it. Check.
"don't try to figure out everything on your own." I can see He was expecting me. I'll work on it. I will listen to the Holy Spirit. I will.
"Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track." This is where I am. This is where I'm trying to live.
So I'm laying around napping and wondering if I'm doing it right. Sure, I'm supposed to be resting because I have Mono but I also just got my Real Estate's license and started working. Sorta. I mean I've gone into the office and had business cards made. I told some people.
Seems to me this is a perfect time to be - Listening for God's voice in everything I do and everywhere I'm going. Kinda feels like I'm missing something because I'm getting to take naps and do laundry.
Makes me wonder. Waiting on the Lord. Am I supposed to be doing something? Or is trusting hard because waiting is hard?
I'm a military wife. We're called to wait all the freaking time. So I know that I hate waiting. As I mulling on this I picture myself in a giant Dr.'s office. Green plastic sofa's gathered around low round coffee tables. Not a bright green but somewhere between puke and not quite sage. Meant to be timeless and classic but just wrong. On the coffee tables for our waiting pleasure are magazines that you would never touch on a regular day. Articles about how to stay regular after 40 or parenting tips to avoid disciplining your toddler. Ugh. Makes me think Catholics might be on to something with this purgatory. It's called waiting.
Interestingly this is when the brilliance of this passage hits me. God also added the parts about how I know nothing and I need to fear Him. He knew all along that this waiting thing is difficult.
Look at poor Sarah and Abraham. She got tired of waiting on the the Lord and told her husband to get the maid pregnant. How'd that work out?
Jonah decided he wasn't going to listen and he thought he knew better. God reminded him of the Fear we are to show the Lord and stuffed him in a whale for a few days. I'd rather not warrant such extremes.
So I'm waiting on the Lord. I'm wondering how in the world I'm supposed to feel productive while being so passive. It's new. It's crazy. I'm going to make sure that everyone knows that's where I am.
I'm yielding all to God. Giving Him right of way.
I'm waiting on the Lord in my new job.
I'm waiting on the Lord in my marriage.
I'm waiting on the Lord for my everything.
While weird, I'm telling you, if feels good. I'm not stressed out over Christmas. I'm excited about the opportunities God is preparing just for me. I'm feeling rested and at peace. In December, crazy right?
Plus I'm digging the promises in the following verses. They are good in every translation.
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