{Be Confident} The Key to Loving God

I honestly believe that the best way we can love God is to believe He is exactly who He says He is.

Someone once told me that the Bible is God’s love letter to his people.  Over and over and over again the Lord filled scripture with stories, encouragement and promises kept.  Why did he do this?  For no other reason than for us to have living proof that He is who He says He is.

If we were being really real right now, and had a pot of coffee between us, I’d pour you a cup and confess that sometimes I really struggle with being dependent on God.

I have an independent streak about me.  Something in me likes to do things without help.  I’m pretty sure Kelly Clarkson wrote “Miss Independent” with me in mind (even though we’ve never met before).

But…  There is something to be said about fully depending on the lord. About not trying to handle things yourself and giving him ample opportunity to be who He says He is.

Our weakness allows us to acknowledge that we are in need of something.  That something is longing to be satisfied.  For the longest time I viewed my weaknesses and insecurities as bad things that needed to be fixed in order for me to be better.  But now… now I view my insecurities and weaknesses as things that bind me to my Savior.

Let me explain.

The first time that I met my best friend, we didn’t instantly become inseparable, or share abounding trust in each other overnight.  In fact, we didn’t actually become best friends until almost a year after we met.  Until that time we were acquaintances.  We had seen each other at school a few times and were in a few classes together.  One day, before class, I went to the bathroom and found her crumbled and crying.  Immediately she tried to hide her tears, and blotted her face with the tissue she was holding.  My heart was saddened for her and I wanted to know what was making her so upset.  So, I stood there, waiting for her to tell me what was bothering her.  She saw how I cared, and after a few minutes she let me in on what was wrong.  She began to trust me with a part of her heart she hadn’t before.

I look back now, and see that if she and I had not had that moment filled with her weakness and broken heart in that bathroom, we wouldn’t be best friends today.

Relationships are like that.  We don’t love people deeply simply by meeting them and doing life alongside them.  We love them deeply because we connect to them.  We see them and relate to them and have a burden for them.

My relationship with my best friend is much like God’s relationship with us.  God sees how we’ve been broken and bruised.  He sees how the world has betrayed us and how we’ve fallen short in our flesh.  In the midst of the hurting, He graciously lingers on the edges of our world, not forcing himself on us, but waiting for us to invite Him in and lay our burdens down, to tell Him how we’re hurting.

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me

2 Corinthians 12:9

He wants us to trust him with our weaknesses.  He wants to be a safe place for us.  He longs for us to be dependent on Him.  He doesn’t want us to do life on our own – even if we think can.  He wants to take care of us.  He wants to provide for us.  He wants us to invite Him into our world.

But we have to let Him.

We have to give up that independence, and let Him have control.

Loving God isn’t about what we DO for Him, how we sacrifice for Him, or even what we say to Him.

Loving God is letting Him be Himself and trusting Him to be who He says He is.

 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

xo

AnnaFilly