The Voice of Truth

On the ride home the other day in carpool we were talking about how bad things seem to be getting. The state is probably going to be issuing IOUs to people filing their tax refunds. I have heard a rumor of a 'local' school district that may not be able to meet it's payroll in February. My driver said that it sounds like things are going to get very bad real soon. We even talked about how bad and what would happen if our district notified us that they would not be able to pay us. 

Scary notions! But as we talked I heard the voice of the Lord

 whispering to me in that conversation. Yes things can get bad, but we belong to the same Jesus that fed the 5,000 with just five loaves and two fish. He is the same God that feeds the birds and clothes the flowers (Luke 12:22-34). 

I believe this is an opportunity to trust in God and rely on His provision instead of listening to the voice of this world which speaks of calamity and doom - no hope for the future. I'm learning to let go of my tendency to take command of my own life and trust everything over to Christ. Does this mean I need to just sit back and pray? When Jesus fed the 5,000 he could have made it all appear from nothing. Yet he asked His disciples what resources they had then multiplied them. 

I'm definitely not advocating a "Name it, Claim it" theology nor do I believe that "God helps those that help themselves." (BTW, it was from Poor Richard's Almanac in 1757.) But there seems to be a tension between what God does and what we do. I don't have the answers but there are definitely times when it is all God that does something and we are simply witnesses to his power. There are other times when we are the ones that need to do some kind of action. I think that the relationship between God and His people is so intimate that at times it is hard to distinguish between the two.

As I learn to distinguish Jesus' voice from all the other voices, hopefully I will respond more quickly and trust Him. Jesus loves me and He loves you too!