When we are in situations where we need God and God comes through for us we can feel elated and wonder why we ever relied on ourselves or ever worried.
However we soon seem to revert to relying on our own instincts and powers and trying to get things done without God’s help. It’s as if we are naturally programmed to live without room for God.
Maybe this comes from our training, where we start life learning to stand on our own two feet. We learn many things in our early years and are raised to become independent, not relying on constant care from parents and others.
If someone continues to need support we see that as bad. We are meant to accept responsibility, be reliable, get things done and make things happen. And that’s all perfectly fine. However, in that process we learn to rely on ourselves, instead of God.
Somehow we are meant to become independent and perfectly capable, while at the same time learning to not depend on our own independence or rely on our own abilities.
We have to leave Room For God in our lives and in what we are doing. If we don’t we will end up working out of human resources and seeing ourselves as the sustainer of our life.
The danger is that we come under a curse if we don’t rely on God.
“The Lord says, Cursed is the man who trusts in man and relies on human resources, and whose heart departs from the Lord.” Jeremiah 17:5
Be as capable as you can be, and excel in every area of your skill and capacity, but at the same time Make Room for God. Don’t think that your capacities are enough. Don’t rely on yourself in such a way that you abandon your reliance on God.
I recall being in a church planning meeting where leaders discussed a major project. The church had plenty of resources and could easily have worked within those resources. Yet they saw the need to Make Room For God. They needed to step out in faith and allow God to have a major part in the project. If it was simply a human endeavour then they could not be sure God was in it.
One way to Make Room For God is to have a plan that can only proceed if God brings special provision. Then, if provision comes, you can be sure God is in the project and blessing the plans.
Another way to Make Room For God is to do what the Bible instructs, even though it is not what normal society thinks is right. There are many challenging instructions in God’s Word and many of those are from the lips of Jesus Christ, Himself.
Consider the instruction to give hospitality to the needy, who can’t repay you.
“When you give a banquet invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. For they cannot repay you, so you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:13,14
Consider the instruction to accept being exploited, such as by turning the other cheek. In our culture we are not trained to be so generous and we think giving in like that is a sign of weakness.
“Do not resist evil. If someone strikes your right cheek turn to him the other also. If someone wants to take your shirt, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two.” Matthew 5:39-41
In such situations we Make Room For God because we don’t try to win the fight ourself. We do what the Bible instructs and we leave the outcome to God.
If you can’t do that, such as feeling you have to defend yourself, fight for your rights, demand justice, get full compensation, and so on, then you may get what you chase, but end up with the curse that comes from not trusting the Lord.
People who Make Room For God get to see God come through. Those who play safe and live by their own capacities get what their capacities can deliver, but never see the power of God or the wonderful things God has prepared for them.
The best way to Make Room For God is to be led by God’s Holy Spirit. This is the sign that we are mature, fully grown Sons of God.
“All those who are led by the Spirit of God are the mature sons of God.” Romans 8:14
So, in each situation and challenge, we seek God’s wisdom and guidance. We let the Holy Spirit prompt us as to the right course of action. That means in some situations we act differently to the last time we were in a similar situation, since God knows the background and the details which we don’t know. God knows our own heart and the heart of others.
When we follow the leading of the Lord, according to God’s Word, despite what others around us might think, we are Making Room for God. When things go well it testifies to God’s ways and God’s word being right. God gets glorified.
Every time we succeed in our own strength we get praised or can feel good about ourselves, but God is sidelined.
You can Make Room For God by giving in to God’s way and God’s will. When you forgive someone you would rather see suffer, or when you are generous to the needy, not demanding that they pay you back, or when you take time to serve the Lord and witness for Him, or when you put others ahead of yourself, you Make Room For God to bless you and to show His loving favour to you, and also through you.
You can fill your life with material goods, entertainment, fun activities, people, food, enterprise, comforts and many other things. But the presence and power of God in your life is vastly more enjoyable and valuable than all the things this world can offer.
I challenge you to take stock of the life you are living and check how much place you are giving to God in your everyday life. Then look for multiple ways each day where you can Make Room For God.
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