#ReadTruth

I’ve always been very driven, and my belief was that we have ‘no time to waste’ here on earth. Everything needs to be well-planned and executed according to my timeline. Let’s go, fast, chop chop, quick.

When things often don't go as planned, I’ve found myself questioning if God loves me.

‘If He loves me, wouldn’t He want me to be happy?’
‘That’s such a great plan, why isn’t God going to bless me?’

‘Isn’t that a great purpose/plan?’

What silly questions, but they hold so much weight for me then because even though I knew God makes all things beautiful in His time (Ecc 3), I never quite accepted or internalised that truth.

Growing up in the Christian faith, I wouldn’t say I’m unfamiliar with the term,  ‘Promises of God’. We sing about it, hear it being preached, and even pray about it countless times. To me, the promises of God felt like an ideal destination - like, once I’m in that promise, I would have reached my highest point of success. But in recent times, I find myself asking these questions a lot:

1. “Does God really have a promise for me?”
2. “What exactly is this supposed promise I have to hold on to?”
3. “Will I ever live in the great plan God has for me?”

When the prayers you’ve been earnestly and desperately praying for a long time get just a, “Wait”, or worse, complete silence, it’s really hard to let the importance of this term settle into your heart.

God is our Power Source. He is the perfect and on-time Source for everything you could ever need or want. The only catch is you have to receive Him as your one and only Source by faith. The Word of God will renew your mind, feed your faith, and get you where you need to be; to receive all that you need. If you allow Him, God is able to do more than we ask or think, and His power is working within us on a daily basis. So how do we plug into God’s power for our lives?

This year was difficult, painful, and downright crappy in many ways. But I believe this was still a year of God’s goodness, not simply despite the overt chaos that has permeated it, but because of it. We need only to open our spiritual eyes to see beyond the physical, and get in touch with His heart.

Our culture now tells us we have to live up to a certain standard - have a large amount of money in our banks; attain a high ranking job; have a huge social media following or ‘likes’ on our posts - in order to be “successful”. I’m not saying those are wrong to have. But as I pondered about it, I questioned myself, “Do these really form the foundation of identity that God has meant for me?”

Seasons of spiritual dryness can be exhausting, awful, and heart-wrenching. I’ve had days when approaching the Word and spending time with Daddy G...

Resting in the Lord is a journey I am constantly on. It feels like a game where I conquer a level of ‘Rest’ only to be reminded that there’s yet another. And another. Through this journey, I am beginning to realise to a greater extent that the Lord’s desire for us is to return to the garden of Eden - His original intent - for us to enjoy rest with Him.

Below we share the stories of Naya & Liz (names have been changed for confidentiality purposes), who have given the past six years of their lives to serve the people of Nepal together as a team. We are honoured to have part of the proceeds of our Declaration Cards collaboration go towards supporting their work in Nepal.