Pray and listen!

Happy Thing of the Day: 10 more minutes when you need it. Pg. 437

Have you ever gotten good news, but you were too pessimistic to believe it?  Have you ever been in such a rut that you can't accept the good things as they come at you?  It's hard to be positive about some amazing news when for a while all you have gotten is bad news or things not going your way.  So how do you enjoy the exciting, new, and great things happening without that little voice inside your head saying "this is far too good to be true"?

Does the doubt monster come out to play too much in your mind? Are things too good to be true? It's sort of like when you watch the weather and the weatherman says there will be a snow storm.  You're looking forward to snow, you love playing in the winter.  But snow would just be too good to be true....until you look out your window in the morning and see beautiful snow flakes falling from the sky like I am looking out my window at right now...maybe you should have a little more faith in that weatherman...

Wouldn't it be okay for things to be just that...okay? Isn't it possible that God has a plan, and is just waiting for you to trust Him?  Do we need to put more trust in Him? Have a little more FAITH!?!

So what do you do when you're in the rut of doubt? Simple. You pray and you listen. In God's Survival Guide there is a lesson on doubt.  He says that "the Bible is clear: when we are beset by our doubts, of whatever kind, we must draw ourselves nearer to God through worship and prayer". Doesn't that sound easy....not.  The Bible says in James 1:6 "He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."  That wind of doubt is so very powerful.  No matter what your doubts are, whether they are about the future, a good thing happening to you, doubts about a relationship or a job, anything that makes you unsure or uneasy, that wind knocks you over into that deep water making it nearly impossible to find a way out.

But what if, just maybe, we were willing to reach our hands up out of that scary water.  What if we were willing to be saved from that swirling water of doubt.  What if...we were willing to reach for God, let Him pull us up out of that water and follow Him.  God works in mysterious ways, and only He knows what path He has laid out for you.  Maybe all of the suffering and that rut of pessimism was all just to challenge you to follow Him, trust in His plan.  I started this blog to try and be with God daily, and write about things when I feel moved to.  I was trying to let go and let God. Trying to follow His plan instead of one I had for myself.  I thought things were looking up just enough to get me by, and I was beyond grateful for that.  But when things started getting even better, when things started looking up even more, the doubt storm came a callin'.  So I haven't fully let myself celebrate good news, waiting to make sure things are actually going to happen. But maybe, with this new, but not yet 100% sure thing happening, maybe God is saying "see, told ya my plan rocked!" I have been doubting His plan because things started looking too good to be true. But maybe He is just waiting to prove me wrong, to make me reach out of this water I'm hiding in. And if...WHEN...this goes through here in a few weeks,  that "Told ya so" will be welcomed with open and grateful arms.  Because His plan is turning out so much better than the one I was trying to follow.  Maybe this is just a test of faith, one that I am trying my best to pass with flying colors. God provides. I know this with all my heart.  I'm holding my hand out of that water as far as I can, and I know that when I'm truly ready to be lifted out, He will grab me and carry me to shore!

Maybe we all just need to pray and listen, know that He will come running if we need Him.  Never doubt the plan God has, it is so much better than anything you could plan for yourself.