Raise your hand if you were ever a stubborn teenager who thought she knew more than her parents? Me! Me! Me! Now, raise your hand if you look back on those stubborn years and KNOW that your parents were actually very wise? Me!

 

 

 

Whether or not you are a type A person with a strong personality {like me}, if we are honest with ourselves, most of us would have to admit to stubborn qualities. I think this is a universal truth. We often think we know it all. We often even try to prove we know it all. We often allow that stubborn quality to cloud our judgement as we take our own path away from God’s utmost wisdom.

God’s Word often smacks us in the face with the reality that we are, in fact, stubborn beings. In one particular passage, the Psalmist King David, warns us not to be like a horse or a mule. Mules are know for their stubborn qualities and need for reigning in. In this instance, we are warned to NOT be stubborn and drawn away by our own “wisdom.” I don’t like being referred to as a stubborn mule! At least I can be a cute stubborn mule?

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
    which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
    or it will not stay near you. {Psalm 32:8-9}

I’ve mentioned numerous times on this blog and in the pages of Stress Point the wondrous fact that the words of the Bible apply to every square inch of our life. We don’t have to rely on our own stubborn wisdom to forge our path in life. God promises His ultimate wisdom and guidance as He makes our paths straight. (See Proverbs 3: 5-6) But we have to choose daily to own up to the stubborn and bridle up to His guidance and wisdom.

I’m wondering though if anyone has every searched out the Bible and asked questions such as…

~Where does God teach me how to balance my checkbook and keep tabs on my bank account?

~What exactly does God say about my career path?

~How do I know if my boyfriend is “the one?”

 

Yes, the Bible doesn’t directly speak to issues such as our check book, finding prince charming or our dream jobs. It does, however, speak to the broader issues of the love of money, the role of a godly man and working for the Lord with all of our heart. This is where we, again, must release our stubborn and submit to the great power of all that God promises us in trusting Him:

 

~the promise of His word as TRUTH

 

~the promise that He hears our prayers and pleas

 

~the promise of the Counselor –– the HOLY SPIRIT –– God Himself living inside of each and every believer

When we couple diligent time searching God’s word, conversing with Him in prayer and allowing the Holy Spirit room in our life, trusting God becomes a natural occurrence.

The stubborn mule in us turns into a woman full of confidence and peace who knows that her God has only the best for her…if she chooses to trust and obey.

Psalm 32:10-11 goes on to say…

Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
    but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
    and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

God loves us so dearly that He gifts us with His word and His Holy Spirit. I love the word “surrounds” in the verse above. God doesn’t just sprinkle us with His wisdom. He doesn’t just give us a handful of His love. No, He surrounds us, He floods us, He washes over us with His love. In order for us to benefit from this love so freely give, we must release ourselves from being stubborn. It is that stubbornness that causes us to miss out on the greater love and the greater plan God has for those who trust in Him with all their heart.

 

Let us not miss out because we are…

Stubborn.

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