“[The Lord] can’t lift an unbowed head. . . . Our necks will become stiff from all that straining. But if we bow our heads in humility, we are in the right position for God to lift us up and point us in the direction He knows best.”- Lysa TerKeurst
“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. . . . And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.”- 1 Peter 5:6-7, 10 (NIV)
Lysa TerKeurst concludes Chapter 6 of I Want to Trust You, but I Don’t with the last three what-if questions that point us toward God’s goodness.
5. What if, instead of doubting God’s goodness, I started cooperating with His goodness? Lysa underscores that to cooperate with God’s goodness entails noticing His goodness, calling it out, and finding calming enjoyment in those small evidences. Perhaps seeing the big miracle we keep looking for eludes us today. However, it’s possible to see His goodness in other ways right now. Above all, when we spread His goodness to others, we cooperate with His goodness to us.
6. What if our suffering reveals God’s goodness in the most intimate and personal ways? Here, Lysa encourages us to write down personal past experiences of God’s goodness.
7. What if I don’t trust God? And what if I do? In conclusion, Lysa wants the reader to just sit with the seven questions. Furthermore, she counsels:
“Ultimately, trusting God is holding loosely the parts of my life I want to hold most tightly. I want to trust Him, until I don’t. And that tension isn’t one to solve. It’s one to wrestle with well in this temporary place called ‘now.’ ”
Finally, Lysa stresses, suffering serves to remind us to stay closer to God than ever before and not to resist His leading. Because no matter how confusing life gets along the way, God’s way is the right way!
Today’s question: What Bible verses most help to lift an unbowed head? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Without seeing the redemption”