Hope for the future cancels out all dread and worry. He, the Mighty One able to save has all of our times and seasons of life in His hands. Our first priority should be, must be, to trust the God of Love whose plans for us are good and who spreads out hope before us.
And yet, are we able to still keep our confession of trust and hope and faith, showing love and kindness to one another when things do not go as well as we would like? Jesus was able to do that. It wasn't just His outward behaviour that pleased His Father, it was the attitude of His heart and obedience came as a result of an inward abandonment to His Father's care deep within His heart.
Jesus was consistent - not just because He was the perfect sacrifice - but also because He purposed to fall back on and into His Father's arms.
Falling backwards requires a much higher level of trust and confidence in the person standing behind us than falling forward does. We cannot see the One behind us because we are to walk by faith and not sight.
If we chose to nurture the act by faith, of falling backward into the arms of the Father, if we chose to learn how to abandon ourselves utterly to the King's care, the question would not be raised in our minds "will He catch me? Is He paying attention? Is He ready?"
Once we have experienced the passion of His love for us how can we draw back? It is the passion of His love that ensures He will never drop us to the ground but always hold us near His heart.
I believe with all my heart that abandoning ourselves to God is paramount to the practicality of living in a consistent godly manner. For when we live in that place of abandonment we can see bad things happen all around us; we can hear bad news, scary news and know with absolute confidence that a "thousand may fall at our side and ten thousand at our right side but it shall not come near to us because we have chosen to dwell in the secret place of the Most High". Psalm 91
Abandonment knows we can let go of our grasp on life, be free from worries and cares as we trust God to deliver us, cover us with His feathers and that He offers us refuge under His wings. Abandonment grows as we experience His Presence in times of trouble and see His deliverance, His salvation and His mighty love for us.
Besides His amazing love, mercy and compassion, an outstanding attribute that Jesus had is the one we can cultivate in our lives that will give a completely new flavour in our everyday lives.
That attribute is abandonment for it will bless and cover every area of life.
To "fall back" is to cease from striving, to stop trying to make things happen and begin afresh to obey the commands of our General.
"Fall back" is an order given in war when it looks like defeat is apparent.
"Fall back" gives us time to regroup, going forward again in the power of the Spirit and experiencing victory.
"Fall back" and see the salvation of our God.
The questions I leave for you to ponder are these:
The key to resting in God is experiencing intimacy with God and learning to trust and find rest in His Word.