Give Him Back The Pen

I have some prayers in my life that are near and dear to my heart….Things that I seek God about daily, 5 times a day, some days continually. These are things that I see as imperative to my life, my children’s life, my marriage, my future, my journey with Him.

I heard a story last week and it was a beautiful story. I mean, lives changed, people blessed, strongholds broken, futures altered, the kind of story that makes you ugly cry as you read it. I, through my ugly crying, choked out to Jesus, I need that in my story, can you write that in? The Holy Spirit responded, “Sure, can you hand me back the pen?”

So often, my intentions are good. I want God’s best for my life, for those I love, and even random strangers that the Lord has given me opportunity to meet and pray for. And yet, I find myself nervous about it, like, somehow, it’s my responsibility to make these things come to pass. I do have a part….believing him. Believing that He will work it out. Believing that He is good enough to provide me with what’s best for me. Believing that He loves the people in my life too. Believing He hears and is moved by my prayers. I do that “believing in Him” business, well mostly, I mean, kind of. 😬

Matthew 8:26 The story here is, the disciples are out to sea, a storm comes and Jesus is asleep in the boat. They look at the circumstance and wake up Jesus.

“And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”

The word “faith” here that is interpreted as “o ye of little faith” comes from two Greek words:

1. oligos-meaning brief, short duration

2. Pistis- meaning persuasion

   
   

The problem with me is I start out strong. I am persuaded that the Lord will see those prayers through. Then the thoughts of doubt, worry, fear, anxiety come, so my persuasion(faith) is brief. Short lasted, of short duration. I start trying to figure out ways to make things work or fix the problem on my own. I try to wake Jesus by writing my own story. Jesus isn’t saying to them that they had a small amount of faith, He is saying, their faith didn’t last long. They need an enduring faith. A faith that, no matter the size of the waves or how hard the wind blows, no matter how much the ship rocks, we still know, Jesus is in the boat. He is in my boat. He is in your boat. And He doesn’t need us to wake Him.

Continue in faith. You started strong. Let Him write your story. Quit taking the pen every time the waves get High or the wind fiercely blows. Stop focusing more on what we see than who He is. He is capable of writing a story for you(and me)where lives are changed, people are blessed, strongholds are broken, futures are altered, the kind of story that makes you ugly cry as you read it. But we must continue in faith. He is a better writer than you or I. His penmanship is more beautiful, His words are more eloquent. Stop taking the pen.