The needle of a compass is designed to align with the earth’s magnetic field. Unless a closer magnet interferes, each time a person sets the compass down, the needle immediately rotates to point north. The human spirit is like a compass needle, created to trust the Lord but easily distracted.
Jeremiah says that when we trust the Lord we are blessed; trusting human resources results in a curse:
Thus says the Lord,
“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the Lord.. . .
Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD
And whose trust is the LORD. (Jer. 17:5, 7)
What happens when life sets you down in a new situation? My tendency is to analyze the problem or opportunity and then the corresponding resources or benefits. If my resources are insufficient, I panic! For instance, when my workload increases, I instinctively work harder, faster or longer to keep up. Faced with a customer who is late paying a bill, I tend to don my amateur attorney’s hat and prepare for battle. In sickness, I turn my mind and body to the doctor. How many of us turn to the Lord?
Our immediate responses to every decision in life are fair indications of whether or not we trust the Lord. It is not that human solutions are entirely wrong; God gave us brains and brawn to use. However, to trust the Lord is to tap into resources far beyond human capacities. God’s wisdom operates in another dimension than ours, He can redirect finances in our direction as the need arises, for bodies and relationships He is the Lord our healer. I have experienced Him shift my work schedule around so that it becomes manageable. He has resolved all kinds of business disputes without me having to lift a legalistic finger.
Most of us live a mixed life; we turn to the Lord at times and look to ourselves at other times. Jeremiah’s words are pointed at those whose compass needle is polarized in reverse—they turn from the Lord. Such people prefer their “realism,” in which expectations are limited to human experience and resources. For those of us that want to trust the Lord more, let’s fill our minds with an awareness of God’s potential and allow our expectations to grown in proportion to His ability. Face your next new situation with an excited question mark—I wonder what God will do now?
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