Give It Up
By Mike Rule

We often give things to God, but when He does not act on them immediately we take them back into our own hands. We keep giving things to Him over and over because He does not respond in our timing. When my daughter was six we were dealing with an issue in her life. We tried everything we knew to help her overcome the thing she was struggling with, but no human wisdom would work. I was at the end of my resources when one evening God told me to go talk to her. As I sat on her bed chatting with her, I spotted some candy on her dresser. I told her I wanted her to give me a piece of that candy. She bounced over there and came back with a happy attitude of giving and offered the candy to me with a big smile on her face. I refused to take it from her hand, but told her to put it on the corner of her dresser where she could see it. Now it was my candy and she was not allowed to touch it again. She had given it to me, it was mine, and I would come for it when I was ready. Then I went on to talk to her about her struggles. I told her that just like that candy, she was to give her problem to God, leaving it there with Him. She may still see it evidenced in her life, but it was no longer her struggle; it was His. He would come and take it when He was ready, but even if nothing changed for her she was to remember that it was His and no longer hers.

Several days later I went in to her bedroom and took that candy. She didn't realize it right away, but a few days later she commented that I DID come for it! That is also what happened with her struggle. One day it disappeared as well. The neat thing is, she didn't realize it right away either.

We walk by faith and not by sight. Are we willing to take up the challenge to trust Him and walk by faith and not by sight? Are we willing to put things in His hands and leave them there trusting Him no matter our circumstances? This is the greatest challenge of our lives. Faith is the presence of things hoped for, AND the assurance of things not seen. The greatness of your faith is not in how quickly you can receive, but in how long you can trust Him even if you don't receive. This is the challenge to us today. God is faithful.