He is God after all

I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? (Psalm 56:4 NLT)

What has God promised for your life? Peace in the midst of turmoil? Hope in the midst of fear? Provision in the midst of lack? All of these and more! We cannot underestimate the promises of God or argue that God doesn't really provide what he promises. The promises of God are without reversal - once they were given, they remained in effect! Do we fully trust God to do as he has promised? Do we recount his promises when doubt, frustration, or turmoil come our way? If we are honest here, we might just have some pretty weak faith when it comes to trusting God to do EXACTLY as he said. We think he 'might' come through, 'might' see fit, 'might' find it within his power. That is some weak trust right there! 

Sometimes we add, "God, if it is your will...", to one of God's promised actions, but we are showing we don't fully trust him. For example, God says he will provide for our every need. We have a car that is constantly breaking down. We pray, "God, if it is your will help me find a new car." Then we see the prices of all those new vehicles and look at our checkbook balance, realizing a new car is not just going to materialize! It would take a miracle! What we fail to recognize is that God's will is to send us to an honest mechanic that will do all the necessary repairs in short order at a reasonable price our checkbook can handle. We didn't get a new car, but we got a totally reliable means of transportation. Did God not follow through on his promise to provide for our needs? No, he did, but just not as we expected. He 'came through', 'saw fit', and 'found it within his power' to give us ALL we needed at that juncture in our life.

God's will or his children is to be safe, provided for, and growing in their depth of relationship with him. The 'things' or 'interventions' we think God might do or provide in our lives aren't always what we need. God's will might just be to strengthen our faith through simply trusting him to do what he has promised. We don't 'outline' God's answers to our prayers. We put our needs out there, then we trust him to take those needs into his hands, formulate the right answer to those needs, and provide as only he can provide. The trust we place in his promises isn't complicated - it is simple. We make it complicated by adding all kinds of 'conditions' to that trust. God asks us to lay down those 'conditions' because he isn't going to be 'boxed in' by our conditions. God provides in ways we never saw coming, never imagined possible. So, the next time you put 'conditions' on one of God's promises, don't be surprised when he does something 'out of the box' to meet that need! He is God after all. Just sayin!