Go With God's Flow

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (King James Version)

11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
14And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (The Message)

10-11This is God's Word on the subject: "As soon as Babylon's seventy years are up and not a day before, I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. 12"When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. 13-14"When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." God's Decree. "I'll turn things around for you. I'll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you"—God's Decree—"bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.

Word in Action:

Trust God’s plan and go with His flow.

It is strange how we can so often sing songs and make declarations professing our faith in God, BUT as soon as He communicates a plan to us that doesn’t fit with what we have in mind, we start panicking. Conversely, sometimes we even panic when God communicates a plan that DOES align with what we have in mind. The bottom line is that we can sometimes become people of panic when it comes to thoughts about the future.

We should break the habit of panicking. Dictionary.com defines panic as “a sudden overwhelming fear, with or without cause, that produces hysterical or irrational behavior, and that often spreads quickly through a group of persons or animals.” Panic is basically fear on steroids fueled by anxiety. And according to the aforementioned definition, it happens suddenly. Now isn’t that interesting.

I think that the reason that “panic” occurs suddenly is because it is an immediate response to an awareness of a shifting in position. The moment we realize that something has changed, we can either respond in faith or in fear. Panic is the result of responding in fear. I believe that panic is an expression of a person’s natural response to change. Composure is the result of responding in faith. I believe that composure is the expression of a believer’s deliberate response to change.

Dictionary.com defines composure as a “serene, self-controlled state of mind; calmness; tranquility.” As believers, we can deliberately choose to grab hold of our faith in God’s word when things around us (and sometimes within us) start to undergo great change. As a result, we will be composed to handle the environmental shift (whether internal AND/OR external) with grace. We will also be well-positioned to receive God’s direction regarding our next steps. If we submit to our natural response to environmental shifts, we will find ourselves panicking and unable to properly readjust and reassess to successfully meet the requirements required by our new position.

If you find yourself in a new position, understand that it is natural to feel uncertain, but it is God’s will that you act with composure. God has a perfect plan for your life that will result in a perfect ending, regardless of the “hiccups” you may experience throughout the journey.

Declaration of Faith:

My faith in God’s plan for my life allows me to respond to environmental shifts with composure. I will not panic.

Song of Praise: