In this season of my life, cleaning often invites profound God conversations. As I tidy and sort, picking up the trail of chaos that follows my creative children, I find God organizing and rearranging the messy, tangled places of my own heart.
I was wiping sticky toddler prints, wishing I could wipe away a challenging situation just as easily, when I felt Him ask me, “Have you done all that you can do?” “Yes!” I replied. “Then it is now time to stand in what only I can do.”
In Ephesians 6:13, Paul instructs us to put on the FULL armor of God so that we can stand our ground against the enemy. He then goes on to say, “…and having done everything, to stand.”
We are co-laborers with God. We have a part to play and in the situations and battles that we face, there are some things that are OUR responsibility.
But after that—after we have done everything that we can to meet that deadline; to train our children in the way that they should go; to repair that relationship; to…, then it is time to stand firm in what only He can do. To clothe ourselves in the truth of Who He is.
Each piece of armor that Paul describes represents an aspect of who Christ is. As we put it on, we remember that He is THE Truth; that He has become Our Righteousness; that He is the Prince of Peace, and so on. Wearing the armor of God is about allowing ourselves to be clothed in His abilities, not our own.
So today, where your efforts end; where you have done all that you know to do, stand your ground in that place, allowing His grace to cover you. Rest in His power and faithfulness and then wait with expectation for what only God can do.
1 comment
Oh Aimee, you wrote this for me today! As I near the end of a book launch, having done all the things, some less-than-perfect, I tend to just keep striving. To keep trying one more thing. Thank you for this beautiful reminder to lay it at God’s feet, soak in His peace, and rest in His completeness.