Genesis 26:22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”

God will indeed provide each person who depends on Him a place to flourish. What that will mean will likely be different for each person, because we are indeed individuals, and our needs are different. God knows that better than we do, so the key to satisfaction and happiness is trusting Him with our past, present, and future. Many people are chained to their past, unable to believe that God can and will lift them our of what and where they were. Many more have trouble trusting God with the present, with the problems that stare them in the face. And certainly, many indeed struggle with trusting God for their future, being anxious about an almost unlimited range of things. The Bible states clearly, again and again, that all of such things are contrary to God’s plans for us, and as such are completely unnecessary and a waste of time and energy. As Paul said, if anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), so the past is no longer an issue. Paul and many others also pointed out that God is with us to deal with our present situations. (Philippians 4:13) And one of Jesus’ most famous teachings is about releasing our tomorrows to God. (Matthew 6:25-34) God desires that each of us flourish in the plans He has for us, and the more we believe and trust Him in that, the greater our joy, fulfillment, and peace will be.

I have known this intellectually for a long time, but I still trip up emotionally every once in a while. Actually, my current computer difficulties are further training in this area. I need to trust that God’s plans are good, whatever they are. I realize that He is teaching me how much I have been chained to the computer, so I need to use it as a productive tool instead of as a time consumer. More than that, I need to learn to walk in His peace regardless of my circumstances. I tell that to others, but that’s no good unless I’m doing it myself! I need to be quiet enough to listen to Him, allowing Him to teach me what I need to know, even when I don’t know what that is! He has certainly demonstrated His faithfulness to me in the past, and I need to keep growing in trusting Him with my present and my future.

Father, thank You for Your patience toward me, as well as Your gentleness in administering correction. I do ask for wisdom in correcting the computer problem, but more than that, I ask You to enable me to follow through with what You’re teaching me about my use of time. Help me be a good steward of all the things You have placed in my hands and my heart, not just so that I will flourish as You intend, but especially so that I will be fully available to You in building up the Body of Christ, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!