Trust & Teamwork

In my last blog, I talked about how God’s plans are incomprehensively better than anything we could create for ourselves.

 

It isn’t because God didn’t make us capable of forming our own plans because He did. He wants us to choose His way. He desires our trust and faith that He will deliver us in the exact way we’re needed for the Kingdom.

 

Even with complete confidence and conviction to choose God’s plan over ours, we still have to take action steps to uncover the full version of our stories. In James 2:17, the Bible says, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” This verse applies to many situations and circumstances; even so, it has a place here.

 

I could wake up tomorrow and believe wholeheartedly in God’s perfect plan for my life. Still, I will only ever be a bystander to my own film without action or movement toward pursuing the potential to align with that perfect plan. But God hasn’t just given us tickets for front-row seats. He’s given us the leading role in our life stories, but only if we accept the part.

 

God had a plan to save man before the beginning of time “according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:11). Our earthly plans will ultimately play into God’s eternal plan. Jeremiah 29:11 continues to remind us of this promise from God–

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

 

We must first surrender the “I alone” statements to participate in God’s plan. The world tells us that we’re capable of achieving success with our agendas and strengths. When you leave Christ out of the equation, you begin to pull from alternate sources to fill the gaps where Christ’s strength should ultimately be.

 

It’s not cliche to live out Philippians 4:13… “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Even God agrees that we can do all things, but not without inviting Him into our endeavors and appointing Him to the throne of our lives.

 

God has enabled us to be independent creatures, but he’s also fashioned us to depend on Him. – That we might seek Him. That we might reach for Him and find Him (Acts 17: 27). True success is found when our trust in the Lord meets our desire to fulfill His purposes. 

 

Trusting in the Lord doesn’t necessarily mean waiting on Him. Sometimes God’s waiting on us can be misinterpreted as our waiting on God.

 

God calls us to trust Him, but he also calls us to act accordingly. In this season of life, it would be easy for me to let God take the wheel and sit back until the ideal next job finds me. But that’s not how our relationship with God should work. I’m still letting God steer, but He requires us to push the accelerator occasionally. Or maybe he calls us to tap on the brakes in other seasons.

 

God has the authority to drive our lives. Still, we’ve been given the privilege to upkeep the vehicle we are entrusted to care for in this lifetime. We must fill it with gas frequently and get regular maintenance work to keep our vehicle in prime condition.

 

That’s exactly how God desires to work in our lives. He promises to get us to our destination as long as we keep our end of ensuring that the inner workings of our lives are in optimal shape to get us there.

 

Filling up our gas tanks is like fueling our souls with God’s word and furthering our education to open opportunities for God to lead us. Or maybe we require a mechanic. Instead of procrastinating about bringing our car into the shop, we need to make the necessary appointments with the corresponding individuals to bring us closer to Christ and His will for our lives.

 

As the famous country song goes, let Jesus take the wheel. Give Him the driver’s seat, and he’ll let you keep the keys. As encompassed in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” 

 

God and I are on the same team. Every step I take will be met with one from Him. We work in tandem and harmony. Sometimes God might require us to take more than just one step before he responds. That’s where trust plays in. Without trust, we hopelessly fall into the trap that God isn’t there.