Joy In God's Commands

God is so good. No...I'm not trying to get that response, "All the time." Yes, He is good all the time but I caution us to not say that if we do not believe He is truly good in the depths of our soul. The Lord has worked in my heart in a way in which I truly know, and more importantly believe, that He is truly good. I believe that He truly guides us with His pure direction when we seek that direction.

I have found myself resting in God's goodness when I am obedient to His direction. Often times I feel we make things too complicated. We plan to read our bible everyday from 6:00 A.M. - 6:30 A.M. and when we miss a day we give up. We tell ourselves we will stop being anxious and we will pray for God to help us but when it takes longer than a few days to be at peace we give up. I've spent a lot of time in both of these places and while I was in those places I wondered if God was truly good. Wondered if He truly loved my unconditionally or was He disappointed in me as I was disappointed in myself?

It was not until I found a scripture in Psalm 119 beckoning for God's followers to allow Him to direct our paths. It was the middle of the night and I was in a dark place in my life. I found that scripture and the Lord told me in that moment, "Follow my path, let me lead you, I will help if you are willing to follow. If you choose to not follow my path you are headed down a very dark, scary and selfish road." Honestly, I was a little taken aback by this but I was so desperate for rescue that I told the Lord I would follow His path. That began a now six year journey that I believe will continue to deepen the rest of my life.

You see, following God's direction is not complicated but it is not selfish. If you surrender yourself to God and long for Him to soften your heart He will do it. You may still wonder if He is good, you may still miss times of reading your bible, and you may still get anxious. Although these ups and downs may still come the beauty of surrendering to God's direction is that it is no longer selfish. You no longer feel alone in the depths of your soul. He is walking with you. He is crying with you. He is comforting you when there is no one else. There is rest in God when we are obedient to His calling and direction.

We have the potential to miss SO much if we do not slow down enough to rid ourselves of...ourselves.

God's commandments are rich and powerful. Seek Him today. 

It starts with a simple prayer:

  "Lord, I surrender myself to you today. It is not about what I want for my life but what you want. Show me the way in which you desire me to go. Help my ears to hear you and my eyes to see your way. I give myself to you. Work and move within me. I am yours..."

Psalm 119

" You’re blessed when you stay on course,
    walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
You’re blessed when you follow his directions,
    doing your best to find him."

Psalm 19

"The Eternal's directions are correct,

 giving satisfaction to the heart. 

God's commandments are clear, 

lending clarity to the eyes.