“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act,

making your righteousness shine like the dawn…”

Psalm 37:5 & 6 CSB

Do you like success? I know I surely do. Overcoming challenges makes success even sweeter.

My challenge was getting up off the floor without so much struggle and weird noises. I wanted to do it with ease, without grabbing hold of everything in sight to hoist myself up. I practiced, but I had to admit practice had not led me to perfection. It had led to frustration.

While working out, I suddenly realized I had not trusted the right muscle group to get the job done. I might start using my legs, but if I wobbled at all, fear of failure caused me to try to pull myself up with my back and push myself up with my arms, not my legs. Why had I done countless squat exercises if I did not intend to use that strength to accomplish my goal? I felt so goofy.

Often, we do the same thing as Christians. We read our Bibles, pray, and spend time with God. Then, when hit with life’s challenges, we do not trust him to take care of them. We try to do it ourselves in some other way. Putting our trust in the wrong thing does not lead to success.

Fortunately for us, God loves us enough to get our attention. He reminds us to put our focus on him. The realizations do come from him through the Holy Spirit. When we put our faith in him and his precepts, we head out in the right direction. The difficulty may still cause discomfort or require some work, but he will guide us on the right path using the “correct muscles.”

For strong spiritual muscle, we must commit everything to him, trust him, and practice everything he teaches us.

Father, your rich promises give us strength. We trust in them as we trust in you.

Susan Partida