“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
– Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)
Daily Meditation: Genesis 7, John 2:1-12
As the missionary stepped off the bus in Bangladesh, she was immediately accosted by two people begging for money. Their sad tale was that they needed money (about $30) from her so they could return home. The missionary only had about $35 cash on her. “What do I do, God?” she quickly prayed. Oddly enough, she felt she should give them what they asked. Handing over most of her money certainly qualified as a crazy thing to do, but she did it anyway, trusting God. The appreciative couple disappeared to buy bus tickets.
As she turned and walked around the back of bus, a man stepped out with a knife and demanded, “Give me all your money!” She smiled and joyfully gave him all she had… a mere $5.
We do not always see the logic behind the seemingly crazy things we feel challenged to do. Sometimes the choice to “lean not on your own understanding” is not an easy one to make, but why shouldn’t we? We trust him with our futures; we can certainly trust him with our daily lives! In fact, I find that it makes things easier. I don’t know everything, and that’s okay, because God does.
Think about it. Many of the stories we love to tell from the Bible are, for lack of a better term, totally crazy! Put hundreds of wild animals in an enclosed space and prepare for a massive flood – when such a thing has never happened before? Crazy! But Noah did it anyway. Pour water into jars to serve at a wedding when the guests ask for wine? Crazy! But when the servants did what Jesus told them to, they got to witness Jesus’ first earthly miracle. God loves working through things that we think are crazy, so go ahead. If you feel God’s call on your life to go and do something that seems strange, listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. You never know when God will use something crazy to turn your life upside down in an amazing way!
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
– Corrie ten Boom
Be fearless: God often starts with “slightly crazy,” moves on to “crazy,” and follows that with “really crazy,” so be patient with yourself as you walk into deeper waters. The end result with God is always crazy good!
Let’s let 2019 be the year we grow closer to the Lord and become the fearless, strong, and faithful woman we are meant to be in Him! In Be Fearless, Julie Clinton provides a scripturally-sound guide for finding freedom, purpose, joy… and fearlessness. Be Fearless is now available in our store! https://www.aacc.net/product/be-fearless/ Consider working through Be Fearless with another extraordinary woman or group this year.
Julie Clinton, MAd, MBA, is president of Extraordinary Women and host of EWomen conferences all across America. She is the author of several books including A Woman’s Path to Emotional Freedom, 10 Things You Aren’t Telling Him, and Extraordinary Women. She is passionate about seeing women live out their dreams by finding their freedom in Christ. Julie and her husband, Tim, live in Virginia with their children, Megan and Zach.