Striking a Balance

Trust the Lord and sincerely worship Him; think of all the tremendous things He has done for you. I SAMUEL 12:24 TLB 

Humble is a synonym of simple, and it might be the best one to use when we think about defining a life that honors God. When we think of even a fraction of the tremendous things He’s done for us personally and in the course of our lives, sincere gratitude and praise come easily. Trusting Him continually is a little more challenging. 

In today’s world, life can be pushy and loud. Work for more, sacrifice for better, put in the time to get the rewards, the accolades, and the impressive annual income. There’s a truth whispering beneath it all: 

“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think He’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do His best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way He works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how He works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met” (Matthew 6:30–33 The Message). 

Knowing our worth to God and steeping our lives in His love for us are the ways to trust that everything we’ll ever need, He’ll always provide. Believing Him at His word is how we strike a balance between working hard and working ourselves weary. It grieves Him to see us bound to the latter. 

God is tremendously good. You have eternal value. Nothing is more important than living humbly before Him with a simple trust and a servant heart. God doesn’t promote “striving”; He promotes a life of trust, humility, and purpose—and it’s more fulfilling than anything. 

Dear God, Simply trusting You is the way I’ll get to the life I long for. My needs are met by Your abundant love and faithfulness every day. Help me stay humble in Your truth. 

This is an excerpt from The Campfire is Calling: 90 Warming Devotions for the Simple Life – a devotional now available on DaySpring.com. Shop all books, journals, and devotions from DaySpring here.