Life is a journey. We will have some good times and we will have some bad times. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (KJV) Oftentimes when we are going through a rough time or when things are not working out in our favor, we want to go to Our Father and ask for help. We seek out direction and pursue relief from the discomfort. On the contrary, when life is good, and everything is going our way, we often forget to continue to seek God first. We have all heard the phrase, “Jesus take the wheel;” however, are we calling on the Lord for just that moment because we are uncomfortable or is the Father always our riding partner through the good and bad times – despite how we feel?
When we go about our day without praying, without reading His Word, without spending time with Him, our actions and reactions show it – there is a disconnect. When someone says or does something at work or school that we do not like, how do we respond? When we get a call from our children’s school, how do we react? When something interrupts or alters our day, how do we act? When we receive bad news from the doctor, how do we respond? When we are informed that we may lose our job, how do we process this?
When we get into God’s Word, we get to know Him. When we get to know Him, we know that He is Jehovah Rapha; our healer. We know that He is Jehovah Jireh, our provider. We learn that He is Jehovah Rohi; our Shepherd – He will guide and direct us. We know that He will never leave us nor forsake us. In the midst of things, He is Jehovah Shalom; He gives us peace. When we get into His Word and learn about Him, we know He will comfort us and we can give all our burdens to Him; however, we must believe, have faith and trust Him for all those things.
I must admit, when bad or unfortunate things come my way, most times my initial reaction has me all over the place. Once I pray, I am able to calm down. After I pray, I then have peace. Although I must pray first to become calm, I never allow my initial reaction to overtake me and alter my attitude or character. The Holy Spirit brings to my remembrance my favorite verse, Romans 8:28 which says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (KJV) Once I recite that to myself a few times, I become encouraged and empowered again. I am reminded that whatever news I just received, whatever problem I just ran into, whatever someone said or did to me, I am going to be okay and it is going to all work out for my good! I carry this verse with me always because it is what helps get me through. We are human, so it is natural for us to become concerned at times, but we do not have to become consumed so much with a situation that we are worried and stressed or cannot eat or sleep. We must put our trust and faith in Our Father that He will work it all out for our good.
I have recently gone through a series of changes; however, I do not have to react erratically because I know who my riding partner is on this journey. I have had to make many decisions during this season and I know I cannot do it on my own. I know that in the past, I have done things MY way and things did not quite work out. Those decisions caused some regrets, however, when I have Daddy as my riding partner and seek Him first, I began to do things HIS way and things became a lot better. There is much peace, much joy, less worry and stress.
Spending time with Daddy, getting to know Him, and meditating on His Word helps me to know who I am and who He is. When I am in daily communication with the Lord, that time of intimacy has helped me to make better decisions and adjust to the changes within my life.
As the Holy Spirit guides me, He leads me in the direction that He wants me to go. My desire is to stay in His Will and therefore, I cannot “ride this journey” without Him. I need Daddy and He is my riding partner leading me on this journey! He is not in the passenger seat nor in the back seat, He is driving! Who is your riding partner and where are they sitting?
Since elementary school, Crystal has always had an interest in the computer field until 2009 when God guided and redirected her towards ministry. During this time, she began to send encouraging and inspirational text messages to about 20 family and friends. The list grew, and in 2010 these messages were sent by email. Currently, these inspirational messages are emailed to over 200 people and are being seen by over 1700 members in her inspirational Facebook group titled “Inspired Inspirations by CrisB.” In 2013, Crystal received a Masters in Biblical Studies from Calvary Christian College in Waldorf, Maryland. Crystal has a deep thirst for knowledge and loves to share what she learns. She also admires spiritual growth in others as well. Crystal is a member of High Calling Ministries located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
