Believing God

It is hard for me to step back and fully trust God at times. During the happy, comfortable, easy months of life I don’t seem to have a problem telling God I trust Him and that He can do whatever with my life. But then I hit the bumpy patches and almost without thinking, I feel like I need to do something to make everything better and I forget that God really wants control of my life during the good and the bad days! 

This past year has been a tough one. And some days I have hit my bed at night just weighed down with the anxiety and tiredness of living my days trying to do it all myself. I know God is here and that He wants to take care of it all for me, but I think I have it set somewhere in my head that it is up to ME to take care of my family and those around me and that if I don’t do this then things will drastically fall apart.

But our God is awesome and sends me gentle reminders again and again of what His Word says about trusting and relying on Him ALWAYS! And reminding me that He is the Provider, Healer, Sustainer, Savior, and King! Here is one section of the Bible that I go to again and again:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, what is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:6-8

 I love these verses! Not just because they are in the Bible but also because Paul wrote them – a missionary who lived out his life in full devotion to God. He was tortured and turned away again and again and yet so much of what he wrote in the Bible was about being content, trusting God, and living fully for Him! I love how these verses that he wrote two thousand years ago are still ones that impact our lives now because we have a God who never changes. He is “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8)!  He gives us peace to get through our hard circumstances and He also listens as we talk to Him. That is awesome to think that the God of the universe actually wants a close relationship with us… to listen to us talk about all of our circumstances, problems, worries, joys, and whatever else we want to say!

Those verses in Philippians have been such an encouragement to me as I remember to focus on the truth of my days, especially on how much God has blessed us even in the difficult times! 

As my husband and I focus on raising our financial support to get onto the college campus as full-time staff with Master Plan Ministries and as we surround my husband’s family as his brother goes through chemo treatments for Leukemia, I realize how blessed we are! God has provided for us and has performed miracle after miracle in my brother-in-law’s life and all I can say is “Who is like the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high, who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth?” (Psalm 113:5-6). I am so thankful to have a heavenly Father who cares about me enough to take my stress upon His shoulders and carry me through even the most difficult times!  

About Natalie

Natalie graduated with her Elementary Education degree in 2008 and now serves as a missionary to college students with Master Plan Ministries. Outside of ministry, she loves taking pictures of her husband and two children, scrap booking photo memories of vacations and day-by-day moments. She is so thankful for the opportunity to be a mentor to women who are faced with the peer pressure and endless life choices of daily college life, and is excited to see God’s transforming work as He shows His grace and love to these students and prepares them for the years ahead.  

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