If you have ever doubted God’s goodness, I pray you continue reading. Life gets hard. Things happen to us. We do things we shouldn’t. We experience bumps along the way meant to throw us off track, because the enemy doesn’t want us to fulfill our purpose. But God. He does. God desires to redeem our lives. Every. Last. Ounce. He already purchased redemption on our behalf.
God directs our steps. He takes us where we need to go. Sometimes, that’s looking back. Other times, it’s looking forward moving full steam ahead.
God is sovereign. He oversees all. All. His eyes never lose sight of you and me, or our circumstances. If we’ve accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have the Holy Spirit in us. God’s Word says,
You are from God, little children, and overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.—1 John 4:4 NASB
We are God’s children. God in us is greater than the enemy, “he who is in the world”. Every victory God brings in our lives testifies to this truth. He who is in me, He who is in you, is far, far greater than he who is in the world.
God has brought great victory in my life. God desires to bring great victory in all our lives.
There’s a song by Jeremy Camp called “Overcome”. Here are some of the lyrics:
All authority
Every victory
Is Yours
Savior, worthy of honor and glory
Worthy of all our praise
For You overcame
My testimony is God’s victory. Your testimony is too. He helps us overcome. Overcoming left as evidence of His goodness. Often overcoming requires new habits.
In more recent years I’ve started a new tradition. I spend New Year’s Day with God. It’s a day where I reflect on, and journal about, all God accomplished the preceding year. It’s also a time when I capture thoughts for the year ahead. What might God have for me this upcoming season?
I consider it a sacred time. It sets the pulse for the months ahead. First fruits for the New Year—time set aside sanctifying me to be one with our Father and His purposes for my life.
This year the sacred time began the previous evening – New Year’s Eve among friends. We were asked to share one thing we were most grateful for that God accomplished in 2014.
That felt impossible. One thing?! God has done so much. How can I narrow it down to merely one thing?
I’ll have to use an umbrella big enough to cover all God did in 2014.
One thing. God redeemed my ability to trust.
That’s huge and bears repeating. In 2014 God redeemed my ability to trust. God’s taking territory back from the enemy. Thank you, Jesus!
For anyone who has struggled with broken promises and deep wounding, you know how difficult it is to trust. Sadly, betrayal, commitments unmet, and expectations dashed against the rocks over a life-time can place a barrier higher than any man-made sea wall between us and other people. It can also place a barrier between us and God.
How do I know? I was great at building those barriers. I used to view it safer to keep people at a distance. He/she/they can’t hurt me if I don’t let them come close. I think it’s partly why God calls me to be so transparent. Like an umbrella on a rainy day, He wants me to open myself up. That’s where possibilities lie. A little “Singing in the Rain” to be had, perhaps. Yes, if I share who I really am, I might get rejected. I might get hurt. I might. But God has reassured me He will never reject me. He will hold me, safely in His arms.
He doesn’t promise no one will ever be unkind to me. What He does promise is if they are, I won’t be alone. God will be there to comfort me.
He also promises He’s a God of justice. As Psalm 33:5 states, “He loves righteousness and justice.” If someone hurts me, I have to trust God will deal with him or her about it.
Only a really big umbrella of trust helps us to be brave enough to take a chance like that. God opens it to cover us, so we can fulfill our calling.
How do I know God will deal with someone on my behalf? Over time I’ve grown (and continue to grow) to trust God is true to His promises in Scripture. If He says He loves righteousness and justice, I have to believe it.
I also know because He’s had to tell me when I have hurt someone. He’s talked to me about people I’ve harmed. I had to repent. He forgives. And I’m grateful for that, because I’m not always good and kind—even as a Christ-follower. Knowing the forgiveness God extends to me, helps me forgive others. If someone chooses not to repent, that’s between them and God. God will ultimately bring justice.
A big umbrella – TRUST – helps me to have courage to share with the world all God overcame last year.
Here are some pages stripped from my journal during my first fruits session with the Lord.
In 2014…
I decided I was most grateful for how God redeemed the wounded place in my soul regarding trust. Because God redeemed my ability to trust, I had the courage to carry out many things I would not have done. But the peace that comes from knowing you can trust God grows your courage to step out into the unknown.
God’s big umbrella of trust opened up and allowed me to…
hold things loosely and even let go of some things I genuinely loved, because I trust in God’s goodness. I trust that if God asks me to do something, there is purpose in His request. I’m not sure if I have fully arrived, but certainly great strides were made. I do know God is good. I do know God loves me. That knowledge makes it easier to trust … especially when it drops into my heart as belief, verses mere head knowledge.
God’s big umbrella of trust opened up and allowed me to…
close my mouth when I’ve wanted to defend myself. Trust has allowed me to stay silent and listen … even when I do not agree with a person’s position. I’m trying to seek God quietly in the moment, “What do You want me to do? Do You want me to speak? If so, what do You want me to say? Or should I remain silent?”
Sometimes, I’m told to speak the truth in love. Other times, I’m told to sit silent. It comes down to trusting God is our Defender. He’s the best defense attorney we never had to hire. He’ll let us know if we need to plead our case or let the defense rest with Him.
God’s big umbrella of trust opened up and allowed me to…
grow in awareness that He’s got things under control. As my trust in God grows, my attitude of thinking I need to be God and fix things is changing. Of course, I don’t literally think I am God, but I can try to make myself wear that coat of responsibility. The one that in no way, shape, or form can I fit into. Not my size! Not even supposed to be!
God’s big umbrella of trust opened up and allowed me to…
hold things loosely, so they don’t overtake me, so they don’t define me, and so I can receive new things from God. What I have, what I do, do not define me. If I don’t cling to things and choose to cling to God, I will always know with certainty whose I am. No more struggles with identity. No more struggles with worth. I am worthy. I am God’s child. He chose me long before I was doing anything good, because who I am and how much He loves me is not dependent upon my performance.
I let go of my church and switched to a new one. I let go of women’s ministry (at least how I was fulfilling the call to walk with women). I’ve taken breaks during my writing when I felt I was supposed to. Let go – or hold loosely – and trust God to direct what it all looks like. I do want to receive the new gifts God desires to give me. Sometimes, that requires laying some of the old ones down. It requires trust that God is good and God is generous.
He is both.
God’s big umbrella of trust opened up and allowed me to…
have the courage to get up on stage and speak about my thoughts of suicide in front of over 200 people I didn’t know. I say courage. I’m not sure I was courageous like a lion. I’d actually say I stepped through my fear and stood up on that stage in spite of it all. That’s a much more accurate way to depict what happened.
I was emotionally “naked” and vulnerable, but I knew it was necessary. I trust there was someone God knew needed to hear that message and for them to know there is hope for their future. I trust God was doing something in me—for He was. Preparation. Consecration. Dependency. Strengthening my courage muscle.
God’s big umbrella of trust opened up and allowed me to…
have an unusual conversation with a person I respect. God impressed upon my heart, “Fear the Lord, not man.” Okay. As crazy as this conversation was, if I believed it was from God, then it became a point of obedience. I needed to have this conversation, because I thought God was telling me to. Wrestle. Wrestle. Wrestle. Okay. I may seem crazy, but I will say what I feel was from God. It was intimidating. This is a person in authority. Yet God’s authority is higher. I trusted God was calling me to a place of obedience to Him, in spite of what man might think of me. An abundant life is not about pleasing people, but about pleasing God.
God’s big umbrella of trust opened up and allowed me to…
continue to face frightening things in my life—fears for family. It hasn’t been a short season. End in sight, I’m not certain when. Facing the giants, staring them down on the spiritual front, I can feel very much like little David with his measly sling shot up against this behemoth that I can barely grasp. Yet God’s grace gives me the ability to trust as He holds me steady in this storm. I don’t have a solution, but I have a Savior who does. He is mighty to save and possesses muscle to enforce His spiritual plan. In a moment, with a Word, He can win the war. Whatever is being waged is an indication of just how much God plans to use this situation and all involved in it. My God is bigger. Big enough to take down any giant!
God’s big umbrella of trust opened up and allowed me to…
face a personal giant that had gouged holes in my heart for over 20 years. God called me to a very special Bible study, “Surrendering the Secret”. I was blessed with healing and forgiveness for an abortion I had when I was in my early 20’s. I was given gifts beyond measure, ones I never felt I deserved. The ability to grieve, a gift carried in a basket of trust, weight of which, only God could help me carry.
I didn’t even know I needed to grieve my choice, my loss. I didn’t think I had the right to grieve. God knew I needed to. We all deserve to grieve—even our bad decisions.
My healing would not have been possible if I didn’t trust God to “take me there”—to the place I never wanted to look, because I had too much shame. Thank You, Lord. For without the ability to trust You, I would never have been able to face the fear and the shame I felt—some so subterranean I didn’t even know it existed.
God’s forgiveness reaches in, as He wraps His loving arms around His wounded children (and we are all wounded in some way for we live in a wounded world). He reassures us as He says, “By My wounds you are healed.” His sacrifice for our sin, more than enough.
Surely he took up our pain and our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.—Isaiah 53:4-6 NIV
How can we not trust a God who would lay down His life for us?
There’s another line in Jeremy Camp’s song, “Overcome”.
We will overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. Everyone overcome.
We’re all called to share our testimony of what God has done in our life. Maybe He wants you to share yours with one person. Perhaps, He wants you to share it with many. I trust He will tell you. Whatever it is God has helped you to overcome I can assure you someone needs to hear it.
Our testimonies are God’s victory chants.
Look what God can do in one person’s life! Look what He can do in a year!
People need to know the power of our God, the One who performs miracles every day! You, precious one, are a miracle of God.
More lyrics from”Overcome” sing over us…
Sending us out
Light in this broken land
All authority
Every victory
Is Yours
Savior, worthy of honor and glory
Worthy of all our praise
For You overcame
God says, “Trust me.” And I do. And I will. Our trust in God sends brilliant light into the lives of a broken land. I understand that place, because that’s where God delivered me from. Maybe you understand that place as well.
Let’s take our authority. Remember, He that is in us is stronger than he who is in the world. God is in me. God is in you. He doesn’t expect us to trust on our own. He gives us the Holy Spirit to help teach us how to grow closer to Him and His purposes for our life. Trust in God the root to a powerful testimony God desires to grow in us.
You are from God, little children, and overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.—1 John 4:4 NASB
Redemption looks like you and me leaning into God, trusting He will help us to overcome. His blood paid for every last ounce of our redemption. The word of our testimony brings Him glory. It’s the least we could give God for all He’s done.
QUESTIONS & ACTIONS
If I have touched upon any topic that is sensitive to you, please know I am praying for you. I pray God will heal you and bring full redemption to any area of brokenness in need of healing. I pray His sweet hand would lead and guide you. I know first-hand what landing in the loving arms of our Savior feels like. I pray you find rest and comfort in Him. I pray you receive every ounce of forgiveness He desires to grant to you. His blood is enough. His sacrifice covers all our sin. All. I pray He shows you how trustworthy and true are His character and the promises in His Word. In Jesus’ very precious name, amen.
- Feel free to send me a personal comment if you would like more personalized, private prayer. (Click this link.)
- Describe your ability to trust God.
- What has impacted your ability to trust God most?
- How can God grow your trust in Him?
- Who needs to hear your testimony? Pray and share as God leads you to.