This year I was prompted to read through the Bible start to finish. I felt the Lord leading me to do this so I could see verses and Bible teaching in a new way that I hadn’t realized before.
I’ve been reading in Exodus about Moses and the Israelites, and I was gently and almost humorously reminded of their stubbornness. It was like the Father was saying “Hey Faith, aren’t you glad you haven’t been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years?” The Israelites constantly thought they could do it on their own or that the Lord had abandoned them, when in fact He was continually showing them how much He loved and cared about them through miracles and protection.
If we are honest we all probably have a touch of stubbornness— the desire to do it our way. Over the last year, the Father has really been speaking to my heart about it and I didn’t even realize how stubborn I was being in life. It wasn’t on purpose or in direct refusal to the Lord or the things He has asked of me…it was a subtle stubbornness.
I’ve never been one to outright say “I can do this better” or “I would have been better off if…” but I’ve realized that I’ve been stubborn by relying on my own flesh instead of the Father. One area in which the Father highlighted my stubbornness to me was parenting. Instead of taking lead from the Father, I was constantly trying to do everything myself! I always had an answer to everything without even asking the Father what He wanted me to do, or the way He wanted me to respond or handle situations with my kids.
Father, I’ve dedicated them to you and they are yours! You have the answers on how to parent, so please show where I’m being stubborn and help me.
I’m so thankful the Father never leaves me! He is always walking beside me, even when I’m being stubborn. He is firmly and yet lovingly here with me, waiting for me to invite Him into each situation I face. There is never time when He abandons me. His word is true and His love is unfailing. My prayer is that I put my sin and my stubbornness in His hands and allow the Lord to show me the ways I am not relying fully in Him. He is my hope and my rescuer.
-Faith B.