Scripture: “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” — Psalm 84:11 (ESV)
Have you ever prayed for God to change something in your life, only to realize that when He started changing it, you fought Him every step of the way?
We pray, “Lord, give me peace.”
Then we keep returning to the very people, situations, and habits that disturb our peace.
Sometimes God is trying to bless us, but we keep getting in the way.
God may already be answering the prayer you’ve been praying. The problem is, His answer might require something from you that you aren’t comfortable with.
Sometimes the Blessing Begins With Letting Go
One of the hardest things God can ask us to do is release something we still want.
Maybe it’s a relationship you were convinced would work out.
Maybe it’s a friendship that has become unhealthy.
Maybe it’s a job you thought you would have forever.
We can become so attached to what we know… that we resist what God is trying to do next.
Ecclesiastes 3:6 reminds us that there is “a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away” (ESV).
There are seasons for holding on, and there are seasons for releasing.
The difficulty is recognizing which season you’re in.
Sometimes we ask God to bless what He’s trying to remove or we ask Him to restore what He’s trying to help us release.
Then we become frustrated because it seems like God isn’t answering.
But what if He is?
Isaiah 43:18-19 says:
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (ESV)
That question stands out: Do you not perceive it?
God can be doing something new while we are still staring at what used to be.
That’s how easy it is to miss what He’s doing.
We can spend so much time thinking about who left, what failed, what we lost, and what didn’t happen that we have very little emotional space left to recognize what God is placing in front of us now.
Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (ESV)
Trusting God means allowing Him to choose the path.
That can be difficult because we want to understand everything before we move.
We want details and guarantees.
We want to know where this is going.
God may simply say, “Follow Me.”
And that requires faith.
Abraham had to leave what was familiar without having every detail about where God was taking him. Peter had to step out of the boat before knowing exactly how everything would unfold. The Israelites had to walk toward the Red Sea before seeing how God would make a way.
Faith has always required movement.
There may be something God has already been nudging you to do, but you keep waiting for another sign.
At some point, you have to trust what God has already shown you.
Fear Can Make You Reject What You Prayed For
Sometimes we aren’t resisting God because we don’t want the blessing.
We’re resisting because we’re scared.
We’re scared to start again.
Scared to trust again.
Scared to fail again.
Scared that if we step out and things don’t work, we’ll regret it.
Fear can convince you that staying where you are is safer.
But familiar doesn’t always mean safe.
Second Timothy 1:7 says:
“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (ESV)
Fear shouldn’t be making your decisions for you.
There will be moments when God calls you beyond what feels comfortable. You may not feel completely ready.
… but trust Him.
You Have to Stop Going Back to What God Brought You Out Of
This one can be painful.
God delivers us from something, and after enough time passes, we start remembering it differently.
We remember the good moments and how badly we wanted it.
We forget the tears and how we desperately prayed for God to help us out of it.
There’s a reason God brought you out.
Don’t allow loneliness or impatience to convince you to return to something God gave you the strength to leave behind.
The Israelites struggled with this after leaving Egypt. Even after experiencing God’s miraculous deliverance, they began remembering Egypt as if slavery had somehow been better than uncertainty.
Freedom felt uncomfortable because it was unfamiliar.
Sometimes we would rather return to familiar dysfunction than walk through an unfamiliar season with God.
But you didn’t pray all those prayers just to go back to what you prayed yourself out of.
Keep moving forward.
Some Blessings Require a Different Version of You
We love talking about receiving blessings, but we don’t talk enough about becoming ready for them.
Maybe God isn’t withholding something from you. Maybe He’s preparing you to handle it differently.
James 1:2-4 says:
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (ESV)
Maybe God Is Asking You to Get Out of the Way
There comes a point when you have to stop wrestling with God.
Stop trying to reopen every door He closes or chasing everyone He removes from your life.
You prayed for God to protect you.
Let Him protect you.
Psalm 37:5 says:
“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.” (ESV)
There is so much peace in finally surrendering the outcome.
You don’t have to figure everything out.
You don’t have to know exactly what happens next.
You only have to stay close enough to God to recognize His voice and have enough faith to follow when He speaks.
What feels like the end of your plan is just the beginning of His.
God knows what you’ve been praying for.
And He knows what you need even before you do.
So if He’s asking you to release something, release it.
If He’s asking you to move, move.
If He’s closing a door, trust Him with what’s on the other side.
Remember: Sometimes receiving what God has for you begins with loosening your grip on what He’s asking you to leave behind.
If you’re in a season of waiting, I invite you to pray this prayer with me…
Father, thank You for loving me enough to guide me, correct me, protect me, and prepare me for what You have for me. Forgive me for the times I have allowed fear, control, comfort, or my own plans to get in the way of what You are trying to do in my life.
Help me recognize when You are asking me to let go. Give me courage to walk away from anything that is keeping me from moving forward with You. When You close a door, help me trust Your wisdom instead of questioning Your goodness.
Lord, I surrender my plans, expectations, relationships, dreams, and future into Your hands.
I don’t want fear to make my decisions anymore. I don’t want to keep returning to things You have already delivered me from. I want to trust Your timing, follow Your direction, and receive whatever You know is best for me.
Have Your way in my life, Lord. Help me get out of my own way.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
———————–
What have you been asking God to change in your life?
Is there anything God has been asking you to release that you are still holding onto?
What fear has been keeping you from taking your next step of faith?
Comment below.
