Don’t be afraid. You just need to believe.
I know many people go through several disappointing situations. In fact, the mountains of problem seem to accumulate and be ever increasing. Let me give you a breath of fresh air and say: This is not the end of the road or the final destination. It is just one of those roads we have to journey in life. It seems difficult now – but it will not be with out great purpose.
I think the problem really begins in the way we view God and the way we view problems. A lot of us say we believe in God but live like He is too small to do anything with our circumstance or worst He doesn’t exist. How do I know? Its by the way you respond to the problems that come your way. You worry, you are restless, you have no peace. My friend, God loves you and in case you don’t know that – I want you to know, He is crazy about you. If you are in a tough situation right now. It’s a great time to know God, our Jehovah Raah (The Lord is My Shepherd). He knows exactly where you are and what you are going through. In fact, if you only pay more attention – He is already working on your case.
But you must do one thing: Have faith.
God even gives us a promise in his word – Matthew 17:20
And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
I have made several leap of faith experiences and all I can tell you God is true to his words. He will never leave you nor forsake you. The Lord is indeed my Shepherd. For a lost sheep like me before – I knew that I needed a Jehovah Raah in my life.
I remember that day when my spiritual eyes finally opened to see that I was living in sin. I honestly did not know what to do. I understood what wrong meant, but I felt I had no amount of strength to get out of it. I was then, living-in with John and we had our love child. We were also partners in business. I made all the excuses. I don’t want my child to grow up without a father. I can’t afford to raise a child on my own. This will not be good for our business. My single mom status will be bad for me.
The Lord is a gracious and persistent Shepherd. He consistently challenged me in His word and lovingly walked with me to move a step at a time to where he wanted to go. I knew that He wanted me to experience a blessed life. I will not lie that my faith walk was months in the making. I needed enough faith and courage to take that step of faith.
When I mustered enough faith, I began looking for a place to stay. I told God to lead me to the right landlord. In my prayer time with the Lord I was ever specific about the details of the home I wanted to move into. First, it must have parking. I wanted it secured. It must have a 3 bedroom space within the metro and my working budget was Php10,000.00. Every place I viewed I prayed for. But to no avail, there was nothing we could find fitting. Seriously, people were telling me my requirements were kinda not within standard, but I was trusting God to deliver.
Then on one weekend, I just decided to get a “buy and sell” paper and that’s when I spotted a condo unit in Pioneer, Mandaluyong. I prayed for that condo tripping. When we entered the unit – it was a corner unit, 120 sqm, 3 bedrooms and a maid’s quarter. It had 3 bathrooms, a nice kitchen and dining / sala area. As I was speaking with the owner who was an Indian, I discovered that he acquired all these properties from loans that people were not able to pay him. But God granted favor in our conversation. The landlord was desperate to have it rented out because he did not want to keep paying for the monthly dues. Since he found delight in our exchanges, he decided he was going to give me a parking space too! Everything all in for the price of … Php10,000.00!
As I took that leap of faith, I was surrounded in prayer by my family and small group. I was very afraid but I was also feeling the sense of peace as I kept moving forward. It was a hard path but it still remains as my best days with the Lord. I spent my days praying and reading His word. I poured my heart and depended in Him alone. He was my anchor, my strength. He heard my cries and taught me how to walk by faith. He assured me that he will take care of my future.
Looking back, because I obeyed my Jehovah Raah, In His perfect time he restored me to John. The beautiful thing is when John and I got married, we were not the same people we were when we first got together. He transformed us inside out and made all things new.
God calls you to go on a faith walk with Him. What areas in your life is God asking you to let him lead you out to green pasture and rest? Give Jesus a chance to give you the life He has always wanted you to have. Believe. No matter how small, have faith.