Clarity vs. Trust
(5 minutes)
"When John Kavanaugh, the noted and famous ethicist, went to Calcutta, he was seeking Mother Theresa...and more. He went for three months to work at "the house of the dying" to find out how best he could spend the rest of his life.
When he met Mother Theresa, he asked her to pray for him. 'What do you want me to pray for?' she replied. He then uttered the request he had carried thousands of miles: 'Clarity. Pray that I have clarity.'
'No,' Mother Theresa answered, 'I will not do that.' When he asked her why, she said, 'Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.' When Kavanaugh said that she always seemed to have clarity, the very kind of clarity he was looking for, Mother Theresa laughed and said: 'I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God.'"
How many of us are crying out for clarity, when Abba is calling out for trust? Are we seeking to understand, or are we seeking the peace that only comes from trusting God?
And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. (Philippians 4:7)
"This scripture is telling us that your clarity and His peace are in a race...He's saying, 'You can wrestle with understanding and clarity or you can rest in My peace and trust me.'" (Pastor Tim)
All of us want to be this person. Every one of us wants to respond with trust and have the peace of God in every circumstance. Like Pastor Tim said, it's the situations that catch us off guard, that we didn't see coming, that cause us to react with little to no faith or trust in Yahweh. But it's these moments that become the rare opportunities for us to give God an offering of worship that is much different than the ones we give Him when everything is going okay. It's when negative situations arise that our trust in Him is tested. You don't need trust when everything is smooth, and going your way, when you're in control and have clarity.
Pastor Tim mentioned a very practical and tangible way for us to begin leaning into trust and peace. He told the story of a Navy Seal Commander who determined that no matter what happened in his life, good or bad, he would only have only one response: Good! Lost your job? Good! Got divorced? Good! Got no money? Good! You see, once he developed the habit of responding this way, all of a sudden his brain started helping him come up with all the reasons it was good. The enemy's advancing and broke through the lines - Good! We lost - Good! We get to train harder, and the next time it happens we'll be ready.
Our mind will always find evidence for what our heart wants to believe. The truth is, we focus so much on worse-case scenarios because we aren't fully convinced of the goodness of God.
This week, Abba is going to teach us how to trust Him in every situation and circumstance. This word is going to be tested with opportunities to lay our clarity and understanding down and pick up trust and peace. As we walk with Abba today, let's open up to Him like Kavanaugh opened up to Mother Theresa and allow Him to show us what we need to let go of so we can start enjoying more of Him and His presence.
Beloved One, I give you permission to see everything that happens today through the lens of My goodness. It's all being worked out for your good because you love Me!
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Worship: "Palm of Your Hand" by TRIBL
Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place
Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!
