Prepared…
Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory, that your hand is with me, and you would keep me from harm. - 1 Chronicles 4:10
My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the rock and strength of my heart and my portion forever. - Psalm 73:26
As written in my previous blog, I realized that God’s anointing on our paths is little by little, not in one fell swoop. What I learned from this approach is the word: prepared. We cannot take on His "master plan" all at once, so God gives us doses of anointed favor that build up, add up, and stack up. And, with each anointed layer, we are prepared for the next to ensure our style, strength, and focus will honor Him and His work within us.
When this realization hit me, my obsession with control dissolved, and I placed my eyes back on Him. This fresh edit to my placement guided my eyes toward the goodness of who God is—not to base the attitude of my faith on what is going on in my life but to trust His voice and the promises of His word obediently.
A few years back, I was attending a wedding when a friend I casually knew approached me. She said, “I feel as if God is asking me to speak 1 Chronicles 4:10 over your life and the work you do.” I shared that I was unfamiliar with this verse, and she stated its significance in a short statement: “Bless me, Lord, and enlarge my territory.”
After this encounter, I studied Jabez's Prayer and thought, "Yes! My time has arrived.” Yet I learned that when this verse was spoken over me, my time had arrived, yet it was an arrival for more growth – advanced growth that would prepare me to maturely grow deeper in my faith, equipping me to live this scripture when that part of my path and plan indeed does "arrive." And to trust that I would not be ready if God didn't prepare me to be ready through this advanced season of refining growth.
Throughout this brutal battle of faithful refinement, my growth has been messy and mad, moving and rewarding, silent and stuck, raw and real – a breaking, humbling process that’s helped me get to a deeper layer of living – a layer that's guided me to place my trust and patience in God, always. It’s broken me down and built me back up again. It's guided me to embrace God as the rock and strength of my heart and portion forever and realize that as I draw near Him, I fully experience His goodness, loyalty, and strength.
It's taught me to accept what we learn in Habakkuk's book: God's goodness is not based upon good circumstances; God's goodness is based on who God is, and we get to trust His promises shared with us through His Holy Word.
Friends, faith is for the hard days when nothing makes sense. The scripture in Habakkuk reminds us to work diligently to recognize God's goodness and faithful provision. He’s consistently at work in our lives. And while God's working, we get to seek His presence habitually. We get to live the truth of John 3:30: "You must become greater; I must become less," and believe in the power this consistency adds to our lives.
Encouragement for Inspired Growth…
Things start looking up when we start looking up. Throughout each day, seek His face with intentionality. Trust that God is preparing you for your chosen assignments. Embrace a freshness of WHE: Lord, I am Willing, I am Humble, and my Eyes are on You!
Photo by Averee Kreutzfeldt at Bar 33 Ranch, Blaisdell, North Dakota