September 11, 2007
“Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” Matthew 6:30-32
Oftentimes, I tell myself “I’m taking my burdens to the Lord and leaving them right there”. Truthfully, it’s only at that brief moment, when I am on my knees, that I present Him with my full plate of intertwined noodle-baked trials and tribulations. Then the ‘what if’ syndrome became overwhelming, the situations replayed themselves over and over like a broken record. Then I, with my head bowed, lips quietly moving in prayer, keep one hand on the plate… instead of letting go!
Am I afraid that my plate is too full for Almighty God? Do I think He needs my help sorting it all out? Why must I know how things are gonna turn out ahead of time? What does God have to say about my lack of trust in Him? When did my faith turn to fear?
I went to sleep with several concerns on my heart that night, including a friend who was hurting deeply. So I asked God how could I be a source of encouragement to her the next time we talked. He showed me how oftentimes when she’d began to share her troubles/trials with me, I’d begin to talk about my own plate of troubles. After pondering my motive for doing that, this was my answer: I wanted her to see that her situation could be a lot worse than it actually had been.
Instead of being a single parent with one child that needed support, she could be married with 5 children needing support. Instead of having a small home that was paid for, she could be living month to month (wondering when the Sheriff would be putting the foreclosure notice on the front door for all the world to see). Instead of having a shortage of finances, she could have no finances or have to depend on welfare (and the stigma that comes along with it). I thought to myself, “Lord, do I respond to my circumstances the same way?” Truth be told, excess heartaches, trials and tribulations could be added to our plates on a daily basis, but God gives us only what we can bear.
The next morning my bank account balance was $37.50. I looked in the freezer there was one whole chicken, a pack of chicken legs and a turkey from the previous Christmas (that will probably take 3 days to thaw properly and if I take it out now it can be dinner for Thursday). Thank God my 6 children will get a free hot dog meal on Friday at a church fellowship. Since I didn’t have the privilege of sending my children to nearby relatives for a meal, I had to trust the Lord to provide for the remainder of the week. I could go on about my cupboards, but based on Matthew 6:25-26, I know without a shadow of doubt that God will provide for my family just like He does the birds.
God wants our full plate because He knows best how to handle it. Don’t pray and worry, it’s offensive to our God. Let’s take both hands off the plate and raise them in the air with thankful lips of praise, knowing that the outcome is working together for our good!
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Father your wisdom and foresight go well beyond my human comprehension. Help me not to be mislead by what my eyes can see. Help me to trust that you have all the means to provide exceedingly abundantly above all I can ever imagine. In Jesus’ name- Amen