
This time I will praise the Lord. (Genesis 29:35 NIV)
Today, God met me on the treadmill. Read on to learn what He said.
I am going to let you in on my little secret. My biggest overriding fear is lack of security. This is something that God has tenderly dealt with me for years. I thought I had overcome this fear, but this week, I could feel it resurfacing in my life. Let me explain.
Sitting in the Wednesday morning Bible study, appropriately titled Living In Victory Over Fear, I was asked to write my biggest fear on a piece of paper. I could not believe how easily I wrote the word security. Shocked and dismayed that I wrote that word so quickly I sat back in my chair and pondered why.
Why am I still struggling with security? I thought I had overcome this! I feel like I’m in a cycle of insecurity. Three years ago my husband’s work went on strike, and it was the longest strike in the history of our marriage. I prayed and prayed and God provided! He even answered a big bold prayer with a huge miracle. Click here to read that post. http://redchairmoments.blogspot.com/2012/08/miracles-of-all-miracles.html
Not only did God prove Himself faithful during 2012, the last strike year, He also proved Himself abundantly faithful the following year. In case you are new to Red Chair, in 2013 I went on a secret mission with God. For an entire year, I did not spend any money on myself. Not one penny! Why? Because I wanted to see God provide for my needs, wants, and desires. I am blessed to live in a country where if I want something I can buy it. But where does this leave God? God wants to prove Himself strong in our life, and I gave him all of 2013 to do so. Read about it here. http://redchairmoments.blogspot.com/2013/08/jehoviah-jireh-lord-will-provide.html
God took me up on the challenge and provided every single need! I recall wanting new blue jeans. I prayed, “God if you want me to have new jeans, you will provide.” A few weeks later a friend gave me three pairs of Levi’s that no longer fit her! God didn’t just provide one pair of generic jeans, oh no! He provided three pair of Levi’s – the good kind of jeans! I needed a new water bottle for exercise. I prayed, “God if you want me to have a water bottle you will provide.” Weeks later, a coworker gave me a gift for my birthday. You can guess what one of the gifts was…a new water bottle! I never let on what I was praying for, so trust me when I say God provided, and He used my friends in the process. Those are just a few examples, of what God did in 2013. He abundantly provided for me all year long! God proved to me that He is Jehovah Jireh which is Hebrew for “The Lord Who Provides.”
This morning during my coffee date with God, I apologized to Him for doubting when He has proven over and over again that He will provide. I prayed “Lord, I feel like I am in a cycle of insecurity. When I struggle with security, what I am really saying is that I doubt you will provide. Ouch! I know that is not true! Help me to break this cycle. Amen”
I immediately grabbed my water bottle and ran on the treadmill. While running, I watched the fifth sermon in the Crash the Chatterbox series. http://elevationchurch.org/sermons/crash-the-chatterbox
The speaker, Holly Furtick, talked about discouragement. She shared the story of how Leah was not loved by her husband. She prided herself in giving her husband three boys in hope of earning his affection. She too was in a cycle of insecurity. At the birth of her fourth son she said: “This time, I will praise the Lord and named him Judah” (Genesis 29:35 NIV).
God met me right there on the treadmill. Sweat glistening, legs aching, and heart pounding, God showed me how to break the cycle of insecurity. His words were clear and concise:
This time, I will praise the Lord! (Genesis 29:35 NIV)
~April
redchairmoments@gmail.com
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