Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ~James 1:4 (NIV)
When was the last time you prayed for a relative, loved one or friend? If you have been walking with Jesus for very long, you have no doubt found yourself in the throes of intercession regularly. This world is full of great needs for prayer starting within the walls of our own homes and reaching out to those affected by troubles and persecutions thousands of miles away. Any time is always a great time to pray. But what do we do with the time between when we pray and when we see results from our prayers? That is the very time that James is talking about when he says, “let perseverance finish its work”. Sometimes that can seem like the hardest job on earth for us to do! Letting God be God and not trying to take control of other people’s lives, hearts, and situations can be very difficult whether we have the means or not. When we do have the means to lift others out of their troubles, it might not be the best thing for them. My grandfather used to say, “sometimes helping people is helping them”. He had a way with words, short and to the point!
Have you ever thought you were helping someone, only to find that only the Lord could truly help them because only the Lord could change their mind and help them pull down strongholds that were holding them where they were at? Have you ever helped someone out of a bad spot only to find them right back there again? We have all been on both sides of that equation. That’s why our first offer of help should be to point others to Jesus! “Stay in your own lane” is a common phrase we hear today, and it is really not a bad piece of advice. That’s because we can allow ourselves to get so wrapped up in other people’s problems that we can actually find ourselves working against what the Lord is trying to do in their lives instead of working with Him and that is not a good place to be. Most of the time when we find this happening to us, we have allowed ourselves to become more emotionally involved with others and their circumstances than we are spiritually connected with Heaven by listening and heeding the voice of the Lord. We can truly believe in our hearts we are helping when God is trying to teach someone to hear from Him. Do you seek counsel from the Lord about what you are doing or going to do when you endeavor to help others? Or do you rush in and save the day…all by yourself? It’s something to think about. We miss God by a mile when we don’t seek God every minute of every day and that could very well be something that hinders the progress for those we love instead of helping them. It’s time we release others to God, let Him be Lord of their outcome, just as we are letting Him be Lord of our outcomes. Seek His wisdom and guidance in all your endeavors to be His hands and feet in this earth. Being prompted by the Holy Spirit to action is way better than being prompted by our pricked emotions because God will not only lead us to those He has predestined and prepared for us to help, He will lead us away from those whom He has chosen for others to be His hands and feet to. Either way, we have to let Him be our guide, start to finish, in everything we do!
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ~Romans 8:14 (TLB)
Where do you need to sit still and let God do the work?
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