Calm Yourself - Encouragement Café - August 2, 2016

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Calm Yourself
By Robin Jones
Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…  Psalm 37:7 NIV

Having a baby is not about raising a baby.  In fact, my theory is that God sends us babies because they are easy to fall in love with.  If he sent us teenagers or young adults, we would be looking around for a return counter. 

Having a baby is about raising a godly adult.  Family is God’s “A” plan for discipleship.  But… we live in a fallen world and our intentions for our older children sometimes get tangled up in what we want instead of what God wants for them.

Just recently, my 19 year old, decided to go in a different direction than what I had planned for her.  In fact, she used two scriptures to back up her decision. 

I sat and re-read the scriptures she was using to go “off book,” and began to complain to the Lord.

Lord.

Don’t you see that she is taking Psalm 37:4 out of context?  I complained.  It says right here, ‘Trust in the Lord and do good; DWELL in the land and enjoy safe pasture.’  Seems to me that she is supposed to stay right here and DWELL.

Reading further in Psalm 37, I used it to make my case to God for my daughter’s misunderstanding of the His leading.

Verse 5… you say to ‘Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this.’  She is just blowing past this, Lord.  I don’t want her to make a mistake.

As soon as the words left my lips, I realized I was talking at God and not listening to Him.  I calmed myself and read on.

Psalm 37:7 came alive. The Father’s voice was clear.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret… Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.

The note in my Ryrie Study Bible says,

Do not fret means [sic] do not be incensed, angry or indignant.

It seemed God was saying,

Be calm. Be patient.  Be watchful. You trust that I have you, right? Then trust me when I say I have her.

Momma heart to Momma heart: Trust the Lord with your children.  Be patient and let Him teach them just like He taught you.  Be watchful and pray on every occasion as they walk with the Lord.  They aren’t just your kids… more importantly, they are His.

Tips to CALM YOURSELF while your young adult makes their faith their own.

Be calm:  Take a deep breath when they tell you they are going a different way than you expected.  Fretting will just lead to a fracture in the relationship.

Be patient:  Listen to what they are saying.  Don’t talk over them.  Put your thoughts aside and really hear them. 

Be watchful:  If you did a good job listening and being calm, you will know what to pray for them.  You will hear the Lord when He says, I’ve got this.  Then… sit back and watch what the Lord does in their lives.

Lord, reassure every momma’s heart reading this today that You have a firm grip on their young adult.  Reassure them that even if their child is not walking with You that You have all of the details in hand. Help them to be calm, be patient and be watchful.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

© 2016 by Robin Jones.  All rights reserved.

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