"Faith is to believe what you do not yet see;
the reward for this faith is to see what you believe."
~ Augustine
THE ANSWER
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
~ Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
Would you like an answer to whatever challenge you're facing right now?
Indulge me for a moment as I first explain my parenting philosophy. I taught my infants to completely depend on me for their survival. I was a continual presence as I nursed them, heeded their every call, attended to their every need. The task their father and I face for the rest of their lives is not to make them independent, but to transfer their dependence upon our nurture, provision, and protection to God. It is absolutely necessary for their continued survival.
The secret to solving any problem is complete dependence on God. It is expressed in the simple prayer, "What do I do next?"
I discovered this prayer following the most difficult day of my life, which spiritually exhausted me, physically fatigued me to the point of collapse, and left me mentally and emotionally bankrupt. I had an infant recovering from surgery, a small child with stomach flu, a house-remodeling project in a stage which both required critical attention and left me without much house—and a husband who needed to go to work.
"Overwhelmed" doesn't begin to describe my feelings. My mind was capable of no more than to ask, "Lord, what do I do next?"
Nurse the baby.
Done. "Lord, what do I do next?"
Fix dinner.
Done. "Lord, what do I do next?"
Give the baby his medicine.
I swallow with dread. I must pin down his infant body with my knees to force the medicine in with my hands while he fights against the pain I'm inflicting.
I'll give you strength.
Take a breath. Okay, Lord. Done.
For a few days, this was how I survived. And I learned that no matter where a person is in life, no matter what a person faces, no matter how a person feels, there's only one Answer needed.
The next step.
Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
"This is the way, walk in it,"
Whenever you turn to the right hand
Or whenever you turn to the left.
~ Isaiah 30:21 (NKJV)
God doesn't always whisper. Sometimes He simply brings The Answer to mind without words, by directing attention to what's needed. Sometimes within conscience, there is certainty of what must be done.
The Lord will give The Answer to anyone—no matter where they are with God at the moment—anyone who seeks Him with a sincere heart that is ready to listen and act.
Our part is to give Him our attention, trust Him without argument, and heed Him without hesitation.
"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary.
To one without faith, no explanation is possible."
~ Thomas Aquinas
Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Survival mode is not a pleasant place to be but I've found more often than not I'm closer to Him there than anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteAmen, God is always there with the answer, and He is the answer. Bless you my friend, I love you.
ReplyDeleteDaily I depend on His provision, guidance, and love. May I learn to depend on it hourly! Thanks for this great post, Anne.
ReplyDeleteAmazingly simply yet powerfully re-orienting. I will use this. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteSimple, profound, and timely. Awesome word! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post. I've been in a place before where the only way to make it through the day, even the next hour, was to depend on God and let him guide me minute by minute. I appreciate the reminder that no matter what He's always there.
ReplyDeleteReally wonderful. I've also had those "one minute at a time" days, though they are few. It works in relationships too. :-) That minute by minute way of living does allow us to depend on God instead of our own plans.
ReplyDelete“The secret to solving any problem is complete dependence on God. It is expressed in the simple prayer, "What do I do next?"
ReplyDeleteSo True.
From the Lord's Prayer to the Garden Prayer, Jesus did the same, "Thy will be done on earth...not my will but yours be done."
If we listen to the still small voice in the moment by moment details, we’ll be able to hear when life is crashing all around us.
Thanks for listening.
Mmmmmm...wonderful words from the Lord to me today. Thank you, Anne, for serving these thoughts to us from the hand of Jesus. - Jodi
ReplyDeleteT. Anne, I like your words so much I used them for my FB link.
ReplyDeleteDenise, you always weave this same message between the lines on your blog.
Gwen, some days it's moment to moment.
Warren, funny how the Lord consistently puts great power in what is most simple.
Sarah, love that you call this 'awesome.' You're welcome.
Cindy, yes! He's ALWAYS there. Even if we feel lonely, we are never alone.
Rosslyn, do tell how you're applying this in relationships. Not sure I follow.
Doug, it's a pleasure to listen. That was some story today about Riding Satan.
Jodi, so glad you found this satisfying. Wonderful to see you! :D
Transferring dependence to God. Powerful concept and something I'm thinking about...
ReplyDeleteSo grateful for His Answers.
~Wendy
Got to your post later today... I'm going to remember and use this prayer, Anne... :-)
ReplyDeleteI love your parenting philosophy. I have three boys, 7. 6 and 2, and I've never put my goal in quite so explicit terms. So many thanks. Clarity is always useful and this states it as succinctly as possible. Also these quotes from Aquinas and Augustine are beautiful! A truly wonderful post -- useful in every moment! Now, what's next?
ReplyDeleteGreat post - I've found you via Twitter.
ReplyDeleteOne step at a time was how I survived (literally) after massive leg injuries from an accident. After being told by many docs I might not walk again, I was overwhelmed thinking of my recovery and/or life in a wheelchair. So I focused on what I could do each day to help myself as much as possible and tried not to think about the future. Praise God - with his healing, skilled doctors, time, hours of PT and taking one step at a time, I walk and run again :)
Wendy, especially hard is imparting what I'm still learning.
ReplyDeleteRussell, you bless me, early or later.
Kristie--what's next? Why just the next step, of course!
Janet, I'm so delighted to have you stop by and share how God has so powerfully used this in your life. Our God is STILL in the healing business!
Bright and uplifting. I like the atmosphere here! May I visit again? and again? Good success in your writing! ~donkimrey@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteDon, I'd be delighted to have you stop by as often as the Lord leads you here. I'm blessed to know that you find this blog a pleasant place to be, and pray you grow closer to God with each visit here.
ReplyDeleteYes, Anne, this is exactly what is needed and so easily ignored or forgotten. Trying to do things in my own strength seems so much more the answer and, oh, how wrong I am! Thank you for this timely reminder.
ReplyDelete~ linda
Linda, I never kid myself that because I know The Answer I always remember to rely on God and His guidance. It's when I'm weakest that I'm most aware of my dependence on Him, and His grace is most apparent. I suspect I could live another sixty years and still be growing in how to live this out. : )
ReplyDeleteI'm delighted to have you stop in.
I am really familiar with "overwhelmed" right now and finding this tonight is right on time. I know the truth of it, I know the value of it, but in the moment it's so easy to get focused on all the stuff that's overwhelming me instead of quieting my mind long enough to ask Him, "What do I do next?" Thank you for the lovely reminder to live what I know!
ReplyDeleteLord, I ask for Shaunie in this hour that You'll quiet this heart and speak clearly, with all the strength for each step. Please allow Shaunie to feel Your presence and love with deep assurance. Thank You for Your faithfulness.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing a simple prayer I'm not accustomed to saying, but clearly see the need to change that. In return, I'd like to share one with you.
ReplyDeleteI start the day with my list of gotta-do's, and got in the habit of asking God for help. My prayer was simply "Enable me to do all I need to do today." Nothing earth shattering, right?
Well, it only took a week or so for me to catch on, that what I thought I needed to do wasn't always what God thought, as He added some unplanned side-trips, you might say. If you'd like to say the prayer too, don't stress thinking things will be left undone - go with the flow and He works those out too. The prayer has changed my life, as I've come to understand what's really important to God for us.
Laura, LOL! I didn't catch on for a while, but once I decided that God could control my schedule and everything on it, I've become far more content about accepting the unexpected.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping in. Beautiful art. I'll be sure to stop by that site again!