Thursday Devotion and Prayer. April 27, 2023
“Leaning into God’s Equipping”
“Walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7
It is always disheartening to feel as though I have reached a significant point in my journey only to ask, “Now what, Lord?” God has put a desire in my heart to work for Him which I cannot calm. I wrestle and fight, clawing for direction or insight. God tells me to listen, watch, do the next thing, and wait. He reminds me not to worry about the future, but to wait on Him.
Obediently, I try my best to research, learn, write, pursue, listen, follow …and wait. I choose to trust Who is leading me, even when it feels like walking with blinders on, and I can’t see the results of my efforts. God gave me the desire, but it is up to me to put the work in. A work He promised to equip me for!
The road can be long and precarious, and often we don’t know the destination …but God does. He will equip us when we don’t feel capable or worthy of His calling on our lives. Our job is to do the work He has assigned us and wait for Him to clear the way. I am learning to take each day as it comes, trusting Him to lead and guide my steps. I plant my roots in His ways and His truth. I am overwhelmed with all the roads I could veer off onto, but He quietly reassures me He will guide me. He gently tells me He will help my voice reach who it is intended for. It may not be the masses; it may be one. It may be tomorrow; it may be years down the road. We read in Philippians 2:13, “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
God did not call us to something big only to leave us hanging. He is not reliant on our human ability to pick the right road. He works within us. It is our job to rely on Him instead of ourselves. Even when the road ahead of us is full of fog, we can keep our eyes on Jesus to keep going. We can trust Him with each day, task, and notion to do things for Him.
Heavenly Father,
You have placed a desire and calling on my life. I have heard Your voice and know the direction You want me to go. However, I am overcome by discouragement. I can’t see the road ahead and need Your strength to keep moving forward. I need Your sight, Lord, and Your leading. Forgive me, Lord, for taking hold of things that do not belong to me. Forgive me for striving in my power to try and manifest things that were never intended for me.
Help me to see clearly what You have for me. I surrender my calling to You and place it in Your capable hands. Reveal and inspire me with Your Holy Spirit. I trust You to equip me for all You want me to do. You did not call me to do Your will because of my ability but because of my willingness. Take my worry and strife and turn it into glory-filled work. Give me discernment when I start to go down the wrong path.
I rebuke the enemy and the distractions that he is placing in my path. I pray for strength against laziness or complacency. I come against the lies that enslave me, telling me I am not good enough, I don’t have what it takes, or that I will never get to where I want to go. I stand firmly on the truth and promise that You are with and will never leave me. I surrendered all my heart’s desires and ask You to lead every moment of every day. Thank You, Jesus, for Your everlasting love, and the many treasures You have stored up for me. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). In Your son Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.
