‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 (NASB)
Each week as I meet with women for counseling and discipleship I hear the cries of their hearts as they try to deal with the changes that are happening in their lives. Many of the women I have contact with are experiencing great upheavals as husbands are losing their jobs. Some are losing houses and the things they have placed their security in and they are mourning the loss of all they have held so dear. The world has changed for them and their lives will never be the same as they once were. One woman quietly said, "I simply want my life back."
There is a great sense of fear about these changes. Some are realizing that they took their lives for granted. They are also realizing they have placed their safety and security in the wrong place and in the wrong things. Whether it was in their husband or his income, what they counted on to always be there for them has gone away. A woman whose husband lost her job over 2 years ago said that she is actually afraid to go to sleep at night, because she has fear about what new disaster the new day will bring. This is a terrible feeling and can rock a person to the core of their being.
“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:27 (NASB)
The truth about our lives is that we have never had any power over them. We can never truly know where we will be living or what we will be doing. We cling to our loved ones as though holding on tightly will keep them from being removed from our lives, but this is to no avail. We are not in control of any of it.
Those of us in Christ must adopt this mindset. We have to learn a new way of thinking that is biblical and Christ-centered (kingdom-centered) and less me-centered. As difficult as it may be in the beginning, you can learn to stop attempting to control everything in your life. You can learn to cease the constant finagling and figuring and leave it up to God. I am not saying to throw your hands up and not make a plan, that would violate other portions of Scripture. What I am saying is that the things that happen to Christians are a part of Jesus' plan for our lives. Jesus has us where we are for a reason, it is all intentional and purposeful.
The Bible tells us that while we have many plans, the Lord is the one directing our lives (Prov.16:9). You may have had all sorts of plans for this coming year but the Lord has seen fit to exert His will over your life. Are you struggling to live with that?
You will struggle until you can say Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven because all to often it is more about people making their own plans and fitting God into them. "My will be done if you please, Lord" is sadly the most oft repeated prayer of the Christian.
Put your situations and your life into His hands. He is trustworthy. He loves you with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3) and knows exactly what He is doing with you.