Matthew 6:26 (NLT) “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”
Do you believe you are worthy and lovable? God says you are. But this is still a question we should ask ourselves regularly. It puts us in check, because sometimes our behavior speaks otherwise. Sometimes our behavior portrays that we don’t know who we are and whose we are. God has called us to walk in the example of Jesus Christ, but many of us let life get in the way. We become distracted and begin to focus on the blessings of others. God challenges us in Matthew 6:26 to shift our focus off what we don’t have and consider what He has already provided. For many of us that are experiencing loneliness, this is a tough cookie. Our emotions can be a good indicator of our headspace at any given time, and the problem with loneliness is that it tricks us into believing that God hasn’t provided exactly what we need, when we know from His Word that He has.
Philippians 4:6 (NLT) is a very impactful verse, because it not only comforts us, but it tells us what to do in order to see good results. It says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Worrying is a thorn in our faith. It jams the ability of our minds to think the Word and the ability of our hearts to trust the Word. So when our faith equipment isn’t working properly, the end results will not be as pleasing to us as they could be.
God instructs us to pray about everything. Prayer is communication with God. It isn’t just a bunch of words we use to put in our requests. It’s a sacred communion with Him that requires us to acknowledge Him as our Creator and Holy Father, and to therefore acknowledge ourselves as His children and loved ones. He commands us to tell Him what we need, and then thank Him for it, even though it may not have manifested in our external reality. This is faith, because faith requires us to trust God and not depend on what we see.
Matthew 6:26 asks us to make a comparison. It tells us to consider the birds. They don’t plant, harvest, or store food, and yet Heavenly Father has provided for them. You are His child; how much more will He do for you? This is sometimes the clog in the engine of our faith; we haven’t taken the time to really allow the reality of our identity in Christ to take hold in our hearts. Faith is how we demonstrate our gratitude to God. We must discipline our minds and hearts to be thankful for the blessing of a husband, truly and authentically thankful, even though he may not be in our lives yet. Thank God not because the man will take you from lonely to coupled, but because the blessing of a husband symbolizes that you’ve learned to trust God.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“From Lonely to Coupled”, written by Kim Times and edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2017. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.