Let the godly ones exult in glory;
Let them sing for joy on their beds.
Psalm 149:5
Thinking about this tonight. One of the many attributes of the Proverbs 31 woman is that she "smiles at the future." She is confident. She is unafraid. She knows where her work lies and Whom she serves.
Do I exhibit this same confident hope and surety in my life? No matter what my circumstances are, am I showing my brethren, those in the world, and most importantly my God, that I trust Him enough that I can smile at my future, even if I can't see around the bend? This takes courage. It takes unabashed trust, trust that is willing to give up everything to Christ, letting His will be done over mine. And sometimes that's really, really hard. Sometimes life seems to be going every other direction than the one we long for, and our hearts are tempted to sorrow and bleed rather than "sing for joy" -- we see no way out, around, or over, powerless to effect change.
But you see, it is in these times we forget Whom we serve -- unlike the Proverbs 31 woman. It is in these days we forget our God is the same one who put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace but also took them out alive -- who let Daniel sleep with lions but also delivered him from their fangs -- who made David a fugitive and a refugee from his homeland and then made him King. These men did not let themselves become hopeless, they did not pity their condition, and they did not lose their confidence in the Lord they served. They knew He was bigger than their circumstances, and that their primary goal was to serve Him wherever He led them, and whatever He led them through -- see Psalm 27:1-3. That is how He was glorified through them. That is how His power and might were made known to the people. Is it any different in my life today? Certainly not!! As a Christian, I am engaged in an epic battle against the powers of darkness that fight to destroy my ability to exult in glory, my faith, and my confidence to smile at my future. I cannot, and neither can you, afford to be defeated in this struggle -- because it is by passing this test, James says, that we will be approved for a crown of life. (James 1:12)
So, while learning from what's in your present, smile at your future. Trust. Give yourself to the will of God, because He will make your life more beautiful that you could ever make it. He is able to accomplish what concerns you, and He is able to accomplish what concerns me (Ps. 138:9) and He will never allow His children to be shaken. But believing that takes faith. It takes a working trust that decides to let God take the lead, every. single. day. It takes willing effort. And it's totally worth it, because when we do what it takes to put all out trust in God and God only, we still may not know what is around the bend and whether our personal dreams and hopes will be fulfilled -- but we do know that God has it all in control. And His plans will be way better than ours. And that is when we can 'exult in glory' -- 'sing for joy' -- 'smile at the future.' God grant us the courage to do just that!
Do I exhibit this same confident hope and surety in my life? No matter what my circumstances are, am I showing my brethren, those in the world, and most importantly my God, that I trust Him enough that I can smile at my future, even if I can't see around the bend? This takes courage. It takes unabashed trust, trust that is willing to give up everything to Christ, letting His will be done over mine. And sometimes that's really, really hard. Sometimes life seems to be going every other direction than the one we long for, and our hearts are tempted to sorrow and bleed rather than "sing for joy" -- we see no way out, around, or over, powerless to effect change.
But you see, it is in these times we forget Whom we serve -- unlike the Proverbs 31 woman. It is in these days we forget our God is the same one who put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace but also took them out alive -- who let Daniel sleep with lions but also delivered him from their fangs -- who made David a fugitive and a refugee from his homeland and then made him King. These men did not let themselves become hopeless, they did not pity their condition, and they did not lose their confidence in the Lord they served. They knew He was bigger than their circumstances, and that their primary goal was to serve Him wherever He led them, and whatever He led them through -- see Psalm 27:1-3. That is how He was glorified through them. That is how His power and might were made known to the people. Is it any different in my life today? Certainly not!! As a Christian, I am engaged in an epic battle against the powers of darkness that fight to destroy my ability to exult in glory, my faith, and my confidence to smile at my future. I cannot, and neither can you, afford to be defeated in this struggle -- because it is by passing this test, James says, that we will be approved for a crown of life. (James 1:12)
So, while learning from what's in your present, smile at your future. Trust. Give yourself to the will of God, because He will make your life more beautiful that you could ever make it. He is able to accomplish what concerns you, and He is able to accomplish what concerns me (Ps. 138:9) and He will never allow His children to be shaken. But believing that takes faith. It takes a working trust that decides to let God take the lead, every. single. day. It takes willing effort. And it's totally worth it, because when we do what it takes to put all out trust in God and God only, we still may not know what is around the bend and whether our personal dreams and hopes will be fulfilled -- but we do know that God has it all in control. And His plans will be way better than ours. And that is when we can 'exult in glory' -- 'sing for joy' -- 'smile at the future.' God grant us the courage to do just that!
