1 Peter 5: 6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

 During one of my morning prayers, the Lord placed in my heart the words “It will be given.” In my thoughts I heard “Myrna…this is the Lord your God who sees you…who is pleased with you…who has been faithful…it will be given.” I experienced a sense of assurance and relief but at the same time I thought how I must weary God as I try to manage my life. You see, my way of life has always been rooted in anxiety, fear and worry. In my mind I believed I had faith and trust that God would see me through in all situations but my actions demonstrated the opposite as I anxiously attempted to take care of things on my own.

It takes courage to trust God to guide and lead you while you wonder whether he will show up at the precise moment you need him to intervene.   There is always that impatient and futile attempt to try to fix our problems even after we put it before the Lord. When we say we trust God in all things but then in our anxiety we move in our own direction, we are then stating that we don’t believe God can do what we ask of Him. At times this action is so subtle that we don’t even realize that this is the message we are living. What I believe God was telling me was to stop looking over my shoulder and worrying about what is or is not. That he has my back regardless of what the situation is…and that he will provide according to his perfect will.

The Lord has deepened my understanding of faith and has opened me to his transformative power. I knew that living my life with fear and anxiety had prevented me from all God has for me. I think back to the years of blessings missed because my reliance was on my own understanding and not the Lord’s.   While at times the process has been difficult, the Lord had guided me through this journey with gentleness and patience. I have been challenged to release my fears and trustingly know that whatever and whenever the circumstance, God is there. He sees me and He is faithful to get me through in his perfect timing and perfect plan. He cares for me and so the assurance is that it will be given! I am presented with new possibilities and places, which God has opened up for me and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for His transformative power and grace.

God is the one who leads, rules and teaches us. As we release circumstances and decisions that may require us to go against our own guarded sense of stability, we humble ourselves under His loving and mighty hands. Let Advent be an invitation to meditate on his promises and with courage cast our anxieties to his care. Let us open ourselves to the transformative experience of God’s grace so that we could enjoy his fullness. Whatever our anxieties this advent, may it be replaced by faith, hope, love and assurance that what the Lord says to us will be given.

Written by Myrna Rodriguez