"then He will drive out all these nations ahead of you, and you will dispossess nations greater and stronger than you. Every place you set your foot will be yours...." (Deut. 11:23-24a)
I've come to the place of realizing I'd save myself a lot of grief if I could separate MY part in a matter from HIS part.
The fact is, most of my stress comes from fretting about something that's His part anyway. Figuring out how it should work out, what to do, coming up with a plan - my natural bent toward the analytical and my gift of administration make me want to ACT! The hardest times for me are not when He gives me a tough task, but when He asks me to wait on Him.
On the cusp of their advance into the Promised Land, Israel needed to be reminded what was God's part and what was theirs. They'd missed that message 40 years earlier, and He was making sure they got it this time. Right before the battle of their lives, He laid down 5 tasks that were their part:
1) Love God
2) Do what He requires (obey His word)
3) Live according to His standards
4) Remain loyal to Him
5) Tell those who hadn't personally experienced what they had about Him
That's it. And if they did, He promised them success over enemies larger than them. He assured them of victory. His part was the battle. Theirs was childlike love, faith, and obedience - with a good dose of passing along stories of His great works.
I'm trying to sort through His part and mine in several areas right now. One thing I can know for sure - His part will always be bigger than mine. That's how He gets the glory. And He doesn't need me giving directions from the backseat!
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