Let Go and Depend on God

Dearest Ones,

Daily life is filled with a steady stream of problems to be solved, obstacles to overcome, and conflicts to be resolved. These things may be as insignificant as a traffic jam, or as major as finding a job or a spouse. I do my best to cope with these challenges, with varying degrees of success and it doesn't help much to listen to the news because it's usually all bad. It doesn't lift my spirits. I believe there is so much more good than bad in our world - we just don't hear about the good. No matter how intelligent you are, you can feel overwhelmed by negative events. Whenever I feel overwhelmed I need to retreat to my inner spirit, meditate on God and feel safe and calm before relaunching into the world. God is my inner peace - where I can pause and gather strength before returning to the fight. I must pause, however briefly, to regain the strength needed to battle the stresses of daily living. "Greater is He who is within you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4) Whenever I can't seem to find the right words to pray, I remember the Holy Spirit prays in me. He knows what is good for me and what I should ask for - isn't it great that he asks for us? Some of the issues we deal with are not man-made, such as illness or natural disasters, which are beyond our intervention. Attempting to find solutions to these problems will often lead to helplessness. Worrying destroys our inner peace and doesn't help. When nothing seems to work, this is when it's time to turn the problem over to God and find strength in surrender. Surrender to God the things that don't make any sense: "My power is strongest when you are weak." (2 Cor. 12:9) I need to make a habit of going to the inner sanctuary, where God is, when I don't need help - this practice helps me find God quickly when I really do need His help. In times of easy sailing, I may feel competent and in control. I may feel I don't need anyone's help - including God's. But when I hit a storm, I realize how much I need God's guidance. Letting God take the steering wheel is not resignation or hopelessness. It means I'm actively bringing my mind to intertwine with the Lord's. I need to stay with God all the time - in good times and bad. Sometimes I'm at a standstill or a crossroads - which road will I take? Stop, pray, wait and trust, but don't worry. God is in every single situation. It takes a lot of faith and patience to believe this, but it is necessary for peace of heart. I may be so used to being in control, and God can't help me if I won't admit that I need Him. I can make all the best plans in the world, but in a second, they can all be cancelled. If you're like me at times, instead of asking for God's help first, I make my own plans, then when things go wrong, I'll say, "Well God, I've done everything I can, now it's your turn. Get me out of this mess." This is backwards, I know. It's the wrong way. God gave us the gift of wisdom, but we must ask for it when making decisions and not expect God to fix things after we made all the decisions without Him. Prayer opens the door for God to work. It helps to begin prayer by praising and thanking God because the devil can't handle it when we praise God - it drives him crazy. He doesn't know what to do - he goes berserk!! You may have gone through some disappointments, and things in your life may not have turned out as you had hoped. People have treated you wrong. But you never come to a dead end with God. He always has a new beginning. Bad things in this world are only temporary setbacks. When one door closes, God will always open up a bigger and better door, but we have to do our part. Hang on tight to your faith.

Jesus is the reason for our Hope!
Sister Francelle.