“…The revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past… now revealed and made known… so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith” (Rom. 16:25-26, NIV).
Yesterday, I had a conversation with one of my mentees. She was sharing with me her difficulty with surrendering to God in a certain area of her life. “He wants me to take a blind leap without understanding why!” she expressed. “I want the full understanding of the why before I do so.”
I smiled lovingly and spoke to her about how trustworthy He is. I gently suggested, “In every area where you don’t really trust Him fully, you don’t know Him fully. Once your heart comes to really know Him, you will spontaneously trust Him. This is because His heart is sheer goodness. The only motivation for everything He ever does is love.”
I then shared this Scripture with her. “…The revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past… now revealed and made known… so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith” (Rom. 16:25-26, NIV). “You see that phrase? ‘The obedience that comes from faith,” I emphasized. “Genuine faith produces obedience. When we really trust His heart, deeply believing what He says, obedience will be our instinctive response.”
I also highlighted for her what this Scripture says about the revealing of “the mystery hidden for long ages past”. I explained, “When God reveals to you the mystery of who He is, this is where trust is born. What if every day you ask Him to show you who He is?”
She nodded, agreeing. “I can do that,” she stated thoughtfully.
So now I will add my prayers to hers, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give [her] the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that [she] may know him better…” (Eph. 1:17, NIV).
Today, I am praying this for you and me, too, my friend. The more we receive His Spirit of revelation, the better we will know Him. The better we know Him, the deeper we will love and trust Him… and the more obedience will become the innate expression of our lives.
Glorious Abba Father, give us this day our daily bread: the revelation of Your heart!
******************
Why do you think that God often asks us to surrender an area of our lives to Him without giving us a “complete explanation” first?
Feeding On Jesus 
Thank you for this. Maybe He doesn’t give us the complete explanation first, because He wants us to come to know Him as our and others’ completion? It reminds me of Him setting boundaries for me in my relationships that someone stepped over. In prayer and through His Word, and affirmed by others around me, He persuaded me to break the friendship. I didn’t completely understand why, but I trusted Him that He knew why that boundary was important.
Two years later He had me bump into that friend twice and the second time, when I asked Him if that was His calling, He said: go talk to her. I was so deeply moved by what unfolded. She had been so angry at me for breaking our friendship and not understanding it (as I didn’t fully either) but in that meeting she was beaming with the love of God and told me God knew what He was doing in breaking us apart. It had compelled her to stand on her own two feet in His strength and I saw how God took me out of the picture, when she had been prepared by Him for that moment and when it was time for my own heart to go through deeper healing from trauma.
I had been trying to pull back and compell her to stand on her own two feet, because she now had her own home and financial support from the city council that I had advocated for on her behalf, but she was clinging to me and wanted me to take on roles that weren’t mine (like parenting her two young children for her when I had my own two young children to parent).
When we met again, I saw that God had stopped our relationship from becoming/staying co-dependent, as He showed her she could stand in His strength and as He taught me I could safely release others (and myself and our relationship with each other) into His care and completion.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! What a powerful, powerful life lesson for both you and her. I am so, so proud of your obedience to Him when you did not fully understand. And I know that He Himself just bursts with fatherly pride over you! This is such a good illustration for answering my question, thank you Anna!
LikeLike
Oh wow!!! I prayed that prayer with you and just wow the insight and discernment God is giving me as to why I haven’t trusted Him in a particular area in my life and haven’t wanted to “jump”. It makes me giggle!! I just wasn’t ready to be shown until now. This has me SO excited at the possibilities and God’s reminding me of so many recent developments He has set in motion. I am finding my bearings in Him and His mercy and grace for me!!! Thank You, Jesus.
LikeLike
Aw, hallelujah! Jesus You are so, SO good! I am truly so happy to hear this, Anna :)❤️
LikeLike
Oh my!!! 🤣😂 now I know why He had me praying Ephesians 3:13-21 this morning too and why this verse in particular stood out to me:
and to know the Messiah’s love that SURPASSES KNOWLEDGE, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
I have been wanting that knowledge in this one area in my life and yet so many times in my life I’ve obeyed, not knowing the ins and outs because I wanted to be where Jesus was calling me to go – I wanted to stay in His Presence, so if He said “jump”, I did, trusting Him to catch me. I didn’t want to trust Him in this one area because I was scared of the cost – because I had not allowed Him to show me and root me in the gain in Him (the complete restoration and redemption) of each of my previous “losses” in obeying Him. I thought I believed in that complete restoration and redemption, but He convicted my heart that I didn’t and had me lay that before Him, so He could persuade me / fill me with the faith to take Him at His Word.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is incredibly special. I am so privileged that you would share it here with me/us! Abba, You are so good and so faithful!
LikeLike
This does not mean that trusting Him and His goodness will always lead us into comfortable and easy situations. Think of Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail, or Paul in Rome under arrest or Peter before his crucifixion. But His way WILL be more satisfying than not trusting Him.
Of course, you know this, but it never hurts to remind ourselves.
❤️&🙏, c.a.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We all need reminders for sure 🙂 Reminds me of Peter saying, “I won’t tire of reminding you.” Truly, we suffer with Jesus during this life, that we might enjoy our co-inheritance of His glory! Just yesterday my best friend and I were talking together of this topic. Thank you, C.A. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think it is all about faith over fear and then the more we rely on HIM, the more we learn to trust. I think you get to a point that you would rather have HIS guidance than anyone else! This is because you have seen the outcome in the past when you have trusted GOD and HE answered in such a perfect and profound way!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amen, amen, and AMEN, Maxine! I heard a sister once say, “Nothing can take the place of your own personal history with Jesus.” That stuck out so much. You are so right in saying, the more we do so, the more we learn that He’s trustworthy — by personal experience!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh I missed your comment and so so sorry I didn’t reply! But glad we are in agreement. May HE continue to bless you in all you do Jennifer!
LikeLiked by 1 person
No worries whatsoever! And blessings gratefully received and returned to you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you……you are such a blessing to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aw that is SO mutual!
LikeLiked by 1 person
S0 for some reason I can’t comment on your last post but oh how I do love giving GOD my morning time and evening as well. Let’s remember HIM in the mornings because HIS lens sets the day. When I don’t have my time with the LORD, honestly I am a mess!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Right?? It makes such an enormous difference when we get to center on Him first. May He draw us deeper and deeper into His heart and fellowship with HIm!
LikeLiked by 1 person
In agreement!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Liked your latest post too. Still don’t get why when I click on it, it won’t like it! GRRRR
LikeLike
Thanks for the reminder to pray Ephesians 1:17. That’s a lesson I have sometimes for gotten. I need His wisdom and revelation every day. Growing in the knowledge of God is my desire. Thanks for your help in this area.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your comment puts a joyful smile on my face. It is truly my honor! Grace and peace to you today 🙂
LikeLike