Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people.  – Matthew 14:19 (NLT)

It was late. It was getting dark. The crowd had followed Jesus to a desolate place and now they were hungry. (Matthew 14:13-21)

There were no grocery stores or fast food in that area!

So the disciples proposed sending the crowd away to find their own food. Instead, Jesus asked the disciples to feed the crowd themselves. When they objected that they had only five loaves and two fish, Jesus asked them to bring the bit of food they had to him. When they gave him the loaves and fish, he gave his next instruction to the crowd:

“Sit down on the grass.”

Jesus ordered the crowd to reposition themselves. Move from standing to sitting. Breathe deeply. Relax. Expect something good to happen.

Jesus took the five loaves and two fish; he looked up to heaven and gave thanks. Jesus multiplied the food, and there were twelve baskets left over once the disciples had distributed it to the crowd.

Notice that the disciples suggested doing what’s practical but Jesus had a miraculous way, a better way: Give thanks even when you’re facing adversity; look up to God.

When you’ve been standing on the Word for so long and it doesn’t seem to be enough, you need to do this:

Sit down!
Rest.
Reposition yourself.
Put your trust in God even if it appears to be too hard or too late.

God can give you an outcome that’s beyond what you can think of.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to help me to keep my eyes on you for my needs and when I face adversity. When I’m tired of the fight, help me to remember that I can sit down and rely on you. Grant me the strength to rest in you, in Jesus’ name.

by Fab Batsakis
used by permission

FURTHER READING

Resting, Knowing, Waiting

Wait and He Will Help

Resting in the Faithfulness of God

The post What Do You Need? appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

If someone asked me, “Do you trust in the Lord?” my natural response would be an emphatic, “Yes!”

However, if someone rephrased the question and asked me, “Do you trust the Lord with all your heart?” My response would be less enthusiastic and even less definitive, because during many seasons of uncertainty and adversity, I have questioned God’s sovereignty by foolishly favoring my own understanding.

The advice in this proverb reflects divine insight and wisdom. Trust is an unavoidable rite-of-passage for believers seeking counsel and a deeper, more intimate relationship with the Lord. Relational intimacy without trust is unattainable.

Throughout His life, Jesus, in obedience to the Father, modeled unwavering trust. For Him, trust meant submitting to the Father’s council and will despite circumstance or consequence. Jesus compelled His followers to embrace that same trust — a trust that emphatically resolves to submit to the Father’s will despite personal perception or doubt.

Trusting the Lord with all your heart is a lifelong call and challenge. Remember, trust is not a feeling; trust is an action. Trust is the foundation and heart of authentic, intimate relationship.

How then, as believers, do we respond to the apparent crucible of trust? For me, trust is audaciously choosing to follow Jesus on a long and winding road — around fog-filled curves, through unmarked crossroads, and over clouded peaks and valleys. Unwavering trust is a journey worthy of inconvenience. In hindsight, when we reflect on our apparent arduous journey, we witness a perfectly straight path disappearing into life’s horizon.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me despite my weaknesses and inadequacies. Help me to overcome my fears. May Your Holy Spirit teach me to trust You in every circumstance — with all my heart. In Jesus precious name, amen.

By Allan Mitchell
Used by permission

www.thelife.com/dailydevotions

FURTHER READING

• Trust in the Lord by Phil Ware
• Trust the Lord
• When Trust is Established

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The post Audacious Trust appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“It is the Lord Who goes before you; He will [march] with you; He will not fail you or let you go or forsake you; [let there be no cowardice or flinching, but] fear not, neither become broken [in spirit—depressed, dismayed, and unnerved with alarm]”. Deuteronomy 31:8 (AMP)

Jesus, You are the Way and You are the way-maker. I will follow You as You go before me and prepare the way for what is ahead in Your plan.

I know that You will see to every detail so that what needs to be done will already be done before I arrive…the path revealed, the direction confirmed, the way established. I trust in You to unlock the doors that need to be opened, loosen the things that need to be untied, and remove the hindrances that need to be taken away.

I ask You to provide for all that is needed as I walk along your appointed path. Open my eyes to see the way You are leading, give me the understanding to take the right steps, strengthen me with the patience to move at the right pace, and work within my words and actions to say and do things in the right way.

I trust in You to do what no one else can do, in ways that no one else can work, doing the wonders no one else can perform. Lord, I thank You that You will make a way!

Our Father is always trying to get us to the place of spiritual discoveries…
God has challenging futures for us.
—William Brattle Oliver

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God will make a way where there seems to be no way,
He works in ways we cannot see, He will make a way for me.
—Don Moen

By Roy Lessin
Used by Permission

If you don’t see our comment form you can find it here: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/blog/roy-lessin_make-way/

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The post Prayer for God to Make a Way appeared first on Thoughts About God.

So let’s ask the question: “What must we do to do the work of God?” Jesus replied, “Trust...”

Recently I read again what Jesus said in answer to the question of the disciples, “What must we do to do the work of God?” Jesus replied, “Believe... ” (John 6:28-29). That is our work. Paul wrote, “God’s work, which is by faith”
(1 Timothy 1:4).

This is good news. My work for him is faith. I remembered that in the Complete Jewish Bible faith is always translated TRUST, for that’s what it means. That puts a different spin on it, doesn’t it? My work for him is TRUST.

Romans 1:17 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) “But the person who is righteous will live his life by trust.”

Hebrews 11:6 (CJB) And without trusting, it is impossible to be well pleasing to God, because whoever approaches him must trust that he does exist and that he becomes a rewarder to those who seek him out.

Ephesians 6:16 (CJB) Always carry the shield of trust, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (CJB) But for now, three things last – trust, hope, love...

So let’s return to the question: “What must we do to do the work of God?” Jesus replied, “Trust...”

God asks us to trust
that He loves us…
that He is with us this moment…
that He rewards those who seek Him…
that He will provide in the future as He has in the past…
that He is working all things together for our good…
that He is directing us and living His life through us…
that He continually gives the wisdom we need…
that He hears and answers our prayers.

Easy to say, harder sometimes for the heart to fully do.

Father, we want to trust you with all things today.

By Sylvia Gunter
Used by Permission

Further Reading

•   We Went on a Journey – a cute story about expanding our territories

•  Foundational Core Truths about Prayer by Sylvia Gunter

•  Salvation Explained

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

My life verses are Proverbs 3:5-6. What are life verses? Simply, they are favored verses that hold a deep meaning to us. What do these verses mean to me? They are how I live my life. They guide my life. They are my default verses. When I am faced with choices, struggles, and uncertainties—I run to these verses and apply them to each present situation.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Trust is vital. Trust is faith in action. Trust is the essence of faith and the essence of my walk—my relationship with God. God has built trust deep into my being, and it lies at the core of how I live my life.

And lean not on your own understanding. We need to understand that we are not going to go through life doing things our own way. Not in a trusting relationship with God. We will have a divided heart if we try. That is what I have learned. It was a valuable lesson when I learned to just let go of my own way and go His way. My heavenly Father knows best.

In all your ways acknowledge Him. Believe God is who He says He is and make Him Lord of your life. See His Holiness. See His majesty and power. See every knee bowed low one day. He is God. He is in control. He is sovereign.

And He shall direct your paths. My life is in His hands. As I follow Him I am going where He is leading and this is how I know I am where I am supposed to be and going where I am supposed to be going. Even the twists and turns are sovereignly being navigated by God as I yield my heart and life to His will.

There is power to live the Christian life in these two amazing verses. As you read these familiar verses again today, I pray they plant themselves deep in your heart and grow an unshakable and lasting trust in the Lord your God.

By Kathy Cheek
Used by Permission

If you don’t know Jesus the way that Kathy Cheek does, you can begin a relationship with him today.  The first step is a prayer telling him you believe He is who he says He is and a second step is surrendering control of your will and life to him.  These can be communicated in a simple prayer (prayer is talking to God):

“Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.”

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, then you can pray this prayer right now and Christ will come into your life, as He promised.

Here are some more links you may find helpful:

Further Reading: 

1. Knowing Jesus Personally 
   https://www.thoughtsaboutgod.com/biblestudies/knowing_jesus.pdf
   4 Lessons (printable pdf file)
   Lesson 1: Understanding your relationship with Jesus Christ
   Lesson 2: Experiencing God’s love
   Lesson 3: Power for Living (the Holy Spirit)
   Lesson 4: Growing in your relationship with Christ
2. How to Experience God’s Love and Forgiveness (3 parts)
   https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/biblestudies_/tc1-love-forgiveness1
3. Four Spiritual Laws that make sense:https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

Comments: If you don’t see our response form, please go to https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/blog/kathy-cheek_god-trust/

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https://thoughtsaboutgod.com/four-laws/

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