This morning in my devotions, I found myself in Exodus 23. I was reading about how God was going to push the enemies and adversaries out before the Children of Israel. But He didn't want to do it all at once. He could have, of course. With just one swipe of His hand, they could have all been gone. But He chose to do it a little at a time in order to let the land recover and to keep it from being overrun by beasts. He always has a plan, and it's always better than mine!
I did my live devotion on this passage this morning and talked about how progress is progress. It's been my mantra for almost 14 years now. I have learned to rejoice in even the tiniest progress because it's still progress. This is applicable in our spiritual maturity as well. If I let His peace reign in my heart faster this time than I did last time - it's still progress! If I ran to Him first when something broadsided me emotionally - it's still progress, right?
Our journey is about learning to trust Him more. It's about running to Him first with our needs, hurts, wants, and emotions. We learn that He is our first and last option instead of just our last one. Has anyone ever told you all we can do is pray? That sounds so pathetic, so last choice. But really, it's an honor to be able to bring Him all our requests. The more we do it, the sooner we start doing it until our thoughts become prayers. But for those of us who are not there yet - progress is progress.
God is so patient and meets us where we are. He watches over our hearts even when we lean on Him as a last resort. He doesn't tell us that we should have come sooner. He's just glad we came. Little by little, we learn to let His peace reign sooner. We begin turning to His word quicker when we face trials. Scriptures begin to come to mind more frequently, so we can draw strength from them throughout the day. Progress is progress.
Today, I'll turn my thoughts to God's patience with me. I'll spend some time reflecting on all He has already done and how I've learned to trust Him more over time. I'll remind myself that He's always been there for me, and He isn't going anywhere anytime soon! With a thankful heart, I'll trust Him for today. Will you join me?
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I have two bookstores of devotionals, Bible study guides, poetry, and more! You can get my downloadable eBooks (some are free!) from Dove's Fire Ministries Bookstore. A few of them are also available in print or for Kindle on Amazon!
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