Sometimes we can have more faith in our fears coming true than in God coming through for us..

1 Peter 5 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore under God‘s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of suffering. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

God can’t lift an unbowed head. When we keep looking at the outcomes we think are best and become fixated on the idea that our vision for our future is the only good one, our neck will become stiff from all that straining. But if we bow our heads in humility, we are in the right position for God to lift us up and point us in the direction he knows best.

I think so many of us miss this part.

Bowing instead of running.

Bowing instead of fixing.

Bowing, instead of trying to make sense of stuff that may never make sense in our limited human minds. Bowing instead of resisting him.

Bowing instead of distrusting him.

Bowing when things seem to be turning around. Bowing when things fall apart again.

And bowing when the suffering makes us wonder about the goodness of God.

Think about your suffering and what you or your loved ones have been through. Have you ever thought that suffering is actually a sign God is leading us in the exact right direction towards redemption?

Suffering isn’t a pitfall preventing our redemption. Suffering isn’t proof that we should doubt God‘s goodness.

Suffering doesn’t mean that trusting God is too risky. Suffering is a reminder to stay closer to God than ever before, and not to resist his leading.

God’s ways the right way no matter how confusing it gets along the way. And God’s time is the right time no matter how untimely it seems to us.

Sometimes we can have more faith in our fears coming true than in God coming through for us.

Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The flames will not set you ablaze.”

So take a few moments to reflect on some of the reasons you might be resisting trusting God enough to surrender the outcomes in your plans for how your life will go. Think about some of the simple pleasures in life that serve as evidence of God‘s goodness to you. The truth is, we know he is good even when life isn’t, but we can choose to bow, surrender, and remind ourselves daily of how he has blessed us and is taking care of us time and time again.

Tay