Simple Trust

I thought everything would feel easier after Christmas, once the colossal to-do list had been completed.

However, our first couple of weeks back into school work have not been easy. Rather than a completed to-do list, I now have a list of all the ‘do after Christmas’ items, that got pushed back to make way for the festive preparations!

I could do with taking a breather, but normal life has kicked back into action, and it feels like I’m falling behind already.

Whilst our first couple of weeks of schoolwork have been tiring, we are getting through our work. We even managed an impromptu field trip last week.

The Cadw sites in Wales are free to home educators and, as we’re studying the medieval period, we thought we’d bring it to life with a visit to Chepstow Castle – first built in 1067 by a close friend of William the Conqueror.

I would like to have had abundant energy, to get me through the first few weeks of schoolwork. Instead, God has provided me with just enough.

I would like to feel on top of everything, but if I did, I might not call out to God for help each morning. And I wouldn’t have as many opportunities to see God provide a way through the days that otherwise seem impossible.

There are seasons where God provides for us abundantly. Like in the days of King Solomon, where silver and gold were as common in Jerusalem as stones. (2 chronicles 1:15)

However, there are also seasons where God provides just enough for the day ahead. While most of us would probably prefer abundance, it is usually in our days of lacking, that we seek God more and learn how trustworthy he really is.

When the Israelites were wondering in the dessert for 40 years, they had no food and infertile land in which to try to grow crops. Each morning, God sent manna for them to eat.  But, each day, they could only collect enough for the day ahead. If they collected more than they needed, it would go bad over night.

Only on the day before the Sabbath, could they collect enough for 2 days, so they could take a break on their appointed day of rest.

It took a while for the Israelites to follow the instructions given, and simply trust God to provide. Nonetheless, God did provide, morning by morning, for 40 years.

It can be easy to look back and think: “Really? Why are you collecting more? Didn’t you hear God’s instruction?”

Yet, when it comes to our own lives, simple trust is far from easy. Anxiety has a way of infiltrating our hearts and filling out heads with “but what if…”

Most anxiety can be overcome however. Like a child who wakes from a bad dream to find they are safe and cared for by a loving parent. We too, must keep reminding ourselves that we are cared for by a loving father. He spares nothing, not even his son, to ensure that all our needs are provided for.

He may not provide everything we think we want, but he will always provide what we need to thrive in the situation he has placed us in. All we need to do, is simply trust him.

‘but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.’

Isaiah 40:31 NIV

Recipe

This week we wanted to bake a cake for a group we were attending, but I discovered we were all out of eggs.

However, we did have just what we needed to make this simple recipe, handed down from my Grandma. Not only could we bake a cake without eggs, but the simplicity of the recipe saved us time too.

The funny thing is, if I hadn’t been out of eggs, I never would have thought to bake it. Sometimes, what might seem like a lack, is actually God providing a better way for us!