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| Grow In God-Dependence |
For some time now, God has been dealing
with me about my independent spirit. I never-ever want to feel like I'm being a
burden on anyone, so I generally won't ask for favors, I just try to figure out
a way to do things myself... but the Lord wants us totally dependent on Him. My
independence has been sabotaging our relationship because it hinders God from
leading me His way, because I'm busily doing things my own way, so I don't have
to be a burden on Him.
I was watching one of my favorite Bible teachers this morning, and she read the
passage in Deuteronomy 8 about the Lord leading the children of Israel through
the wilderness to humble them, and teach them to totally depend on Him. That's
why they got a daily provision of manna, and yesterday's manna went bad. When they tried to keep leftovers, the manna bred worms and gave off a bad stench.
In this season of my life, my wilderness experiences has taught me to lay down
my independent spirit and let God be in charge as my caregiver, my provider,
and the GPS giving me directions. He wants us living totally dependent on Him.
We're not getting on His nerves, and we're not a burden on Him. It's His
preference.
Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NIV) This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who
trusts in man (or self), who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart
turns away from the LORD. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched
places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the one
who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree
planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear
when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of
drought and never fails to bear fruit."