Sunday, October 8, 2017

Contentment even in uncertainty...




Recently an unsettling took up residence in my heart.
Not a dark foreboding unsettling, but a sense that the Lord is moving me into a new season of life.

My soul suddenly longed for a more purposeful contentment.

At odd moments in the day I stop and ponder if I'm being who God needs me to be at this stage in my relationship and walk with Jesus. Am I too comfortable, treading the same spiritual waters for too long and not venturing further out from the safety of my comfortable shoreline? Am I avoiding the ripples of change?

My spirit senses something new is coming.
"What kind of change will this be?" I ask Him, but at the moment no sure answer has become clear, only to be patient, pray, study the Word and not run ahead with plans or ideas sprouted from human assumptions.

Years ago this would have unsettled me, but over time experience has assured me that pressing into Jesus whilst walking through times of uncertainty is not the grueling experience I once imagined it to be because causing us to be overwhelmed with anxiety is not in His nature.

In our flesh we may panic, fearing a loss of control and dreading things we imagine may happen even when they have not, but dear one, cast those thoughts aside because those reactions are not God-given. Always consider the nature of our Father, the LOVE He poured out through the sacrifice of His own Son, the anguish He personally suffered for each and every one of us that we may have life.

God is gracious and gentle, knowing you and I intimately and more honestly than we know ourselves so we can trust that the plan He has for us will not be difficult to understand when it is revealed at exactly the right time.

We simply need to trust, believe and accept that God's plan for each individual's life is good and never for harm. My life and yours has a purpose, a very specific and unique purpose, one that God will fulfill if we are available and willing to follow His lead. 

How do I know this to be true?

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you", says the Lord, "thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 
And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, 
and He delights in his way. 
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down,
for the Lord upholds him with His hand."

So while I'm in this season of change and not yet sure of the direction it will take my earthly life, it is with contentment I rest in Jesus and allow Him to do what needs to be done in order that I may be ready when the road before me brings a change of scenery and direction.

For He must change me first from the inside out and much of that will be achieved by immersing myself in God's Word in order to identify areas of my life which need adjustment or repentance.
Only then will I be equipped for what lies ahead, for the Lord equips us for every good thing.

"All Scripture is given my inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Are you in a new season of growth or change in your life walk with Jesus?
What verses are you holding dear right now?
I'd love you to share them below in the comments that we may all be encouraged.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

Blessings dear siblings-in-Christ,


14 comments:

Unknown said...

I am learning to surrender and trust rather than being anxious about things which I have no control.
Thank you for your beautiful work and for sharing your thoughts.

Kezzie said...

I love Philippians 1:6 'He who began a good work in you will continue it until the day of His coming'
It's good to know He is watching over me and helping me to become all that He wants me to be. It helps me keep on trying to obey Him and what He wants for me yet without feeling bad when I fail.

Thanks Jenny for sharing. Your willingness to share from the depths of your heart is very encouraging.

Kerrie

Grandma Shell said...

I especially love your spiritual posts. It is so refreshing to read them knowing you are not ashamed of being a Christian, like it seems so many are. One of my favorite verses is 1 Cor. 10:31. "Do all to the glory of God." Unfortunately, I was not taught to be a meticulous person, just to do "good enough." I have since learned that in whatever I'm doing to do as if I were doing it for Jesus. Changes how a person approaches any task!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for being one of the “encouragers” Thessalonians speaks of.

Cindy in NC

BJK said...

Jenny, you share the same thoughts/concerns/fears that so many of us experience. I am thinking of printing all your devotions and placing them in a book as inspiration to refer to often...thank you for your honesty and for sharing your gift of encouragement.

fernandez said...

apreciada Jenny recuerde que con Dios siempre gana
reciba mi cariƱo con mi corazon en cristo jesus
carmen

Farm Quilter said...

"I can do all things though Christ who strengthens me" is the verse I am clinging to right now. My dad is getting weaker and weaker, sleeping more and more, and I think he'll be going home to Jesus sooner rather than later. I am definitely not looking forward to dealing with everything when that happens, but I know that I can do whatever I have to do, with my Lord.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Jenny. Your first two verses are favorites of mine, in KJV ;)

You might think this is strange, but one I love, because it reminds me that the Lord loves us and when we are bitten by all the things that life brings down on us, all we have to do is look to him, and we will live.

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live." Numbers 21:8.

mzzbev said...

Going through a season I never thought in my life I would have to go through - I even wondered if I ever would. We were a normal family with our own ups and downs. Hubby and I getting older, adjusting to an empty nest and fighting our own golden years' ailments. Well, now no more wondering. I have joined the club where your adult daughter calls and tells you they have been diagnosed with a possible rare brain disease (Moyamoya). Shock and denial set in along with buckets of tears, anxiety and worry. Doesn't help that we live a days drive away. My devotional time with the Lord has been the strongest it's ever been and it's a good thing, I don't know what I would do without Him and growing close to Him like I never have before. TRUST has been the key, it hasn't been easy but it's a day to day trust. Besides my devotional time in the Word, I'm also being blessed with Ruth Choe Simons' new devotional called, Gracelaced. She is a painter artist and a gifted writer, I encourage you to get her book. I am relishing in God's goodness and love and encouragement like I never have before. The situation with our daughter is a day to day waiting game as she waits for several meetings with some neurologists. There is a good side to this story, she is not experienting any symptoms and is continuing to work full time (the diagnoses started with a routine eye exam where the optometrist got concerned over a droopy eyelid she had. He sent her to an eye specialist who then sent her to get an MRI where she was diagnosed with possibly having MM). I'm not the best writer and I love the way you write, you remind me of Ruth C. Simons. Perhaps you should think about writing your own devotional!? :) Because He lives, -Bev

Mary said...

That is true and up-lifting, Jenny. Thank you for those encouraging thoughts and scriptures. Seems to me one of the changes coming is this new, terrible world we find ourselves living in. I think He wants us to be prepared to serve Him in ways He will show us in His perfect time (as you said).
Bless you~and see you in Heaven!

Lisa B. said...

My favorite verse when I'm feeling anxious or overwhelmed is Deuteronomy 31:8 ... "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged."

Moira said...

A good reminder for me in all of the uncertainty that I've been dealing in my with the last 5 months.

One of my life verses is "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." Jer. 29:11 and one that God has used to calm anxiety many times over the years for me.

countrynana said...

"I can do all things through Christ which stregtheneth me" Phillipians 4:13 The older I get the more I have learned to depend on strength from the Lord.

Cindy A. said...

Thank you Miss Jenny for your uplifting posts. I really need them. Life can definitely throw you some curves. The past six years have been very trying for us. Unfortunately, I do not see the next few years being much better. But this verse is one I ran across when my husband was having surgery to correct a heart problem. It has been my go-to verse for several years now. It will probably continue to be one that I use to remind myself that even though I don't agree with the direction that our lives might go in, God's way is still perfect and He is in charge of it all.

As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. Psalm 18:30 (KJV)