Show More Time
By Margaret D. Mitchell
Week of January 2, 2022
A brand-new year can be exciting when we consider possibilities. But sometimes, when we're faced with unfinished business, another year of expectations can make it feel hard to begin again.
When we find ourselves in the midst of extended projects, we need to remember that we are not defeated because God’s grace has not ended. The calendar or clock didn't stop just because we have more to do. So, there's no need for disappointment, because there’s grace for catching up (Ps 27:14 TPT).
God, in His perfection, will meet us right in the midst of our loose ends, to show Himself as peace and grace and compassion—the Shepherd who comes to lead us out into the clearing for the time we're in.
He's right there, revealing Himself as light, every morning, waiting for us to surrender our anxiety and delight in Him (Ps 46:10 TPT). He's there in our afternoon praise breaks, to share His Sabbath rest with us from intense tasks.
Jesus' heart is to dazzle us with the "radiance of God’s splendor" (Heb 1:3 TPT, Ps 80:1 TPT).
To offer Himself above worldly distraction.
To lift us, where the enemy has lied to us.
To open our eyes to find our security more in Him (above ourselves) as He keeps His promises ever before us.
Some of us are in need of a miracle of time to catch up. And there is grace for this as we show up and follow His instructions.
All of us are in need of God's unlimited forgiveness like He extended to the servant in Matthew 18:26 TPT, in which the servant says, "Please be patient with me. Just give me more time and I will repay you all that I owe.”
Friends, God is offering us deliverance and has been all along. He has just waited for us to see and know that we needed Him more than we initially thought.
He is extending His triple grace to break through our impossible circumstances, level our mountains, and carry us further along. He is doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves and just about wore ourselves out trying (Ps 55:22 TPT).
Could it be that our worse debt was the weight of self-reliance?
God is extending his promise of Matthew 18:27 TPT to us, which says that "Upon hearing his pleas, the king had compassion on his servant, and released him, and forgave his entire debt."
God knows we are on an unfamiliar path and are prone to wandering from His ways. He sees our efforts and offers us His strength of grace in our weakness (Isa 40:29). He knows it has felt hard for us to extend faith in some areas of the process. He knows it's easier to settle for enemy lies when we are tired. He knows we can get caught up in feel-good comforts more than plowing through hard tasks diligently.
One of the reasons the journey has felt so hard is because it's not about a single breakthrough project. It's about groundbreaking for more projects to come forward. This first one is as much for training purposes as it is for anything else. If we will stick it out, it will prove to be more impactful than we knew from the start. It's huge, but it's not impossible with God, especially when we understand that light and multiplicity increase as we move forward with Him (Isa 53:11 TPT).
So, if you feel like you’re stuck in a hole with no way out, then know our God of hope is joining you there to lead you upward and make it beautiful again.
It's not over, and He hasn’t given up on you. Rather, God has made a way for you to overcome and finish well with Him. He would not have assigned you to a plan without helping you through it all, even in the pitfalls we can get ourselves into.
So, rise and shake off the hopelessness. Pick up the project again and meet God there. He will show you how He will bring it together in ways you did not know or see earlier. He will make it clearer and much easier now. He's waiting for you to trust Him to make Himself known greater than before.
The key scripture our Lord highlighted to me is Mark 4:23 TPT, which says, "If you understand what I’m saying, you need to respond!"
Here are twelve more scriptures Holy Spirit highlighted to share with those who find themselves in this situation:
1. "...God’s lavish gift is life eternal, found in your union with our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One" (Romans 6:23 TPT).
2. "My revelation-truth is a gift to you, so remain faithful to my instruction" (Prov 4:2 TPT).
3. "Now it’s time to be made new by every revelation that’s been given to you" (Eph 4:23 TPT).
4. "Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions" (Prov 4:25 TPT).
5. "Don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked for even a moment or take the detour that leads to darkness" (Prov 4:27 TPT).
6. "Don’t give the slanderous accuser, the devil, an opportunity to manipulate you" (Eph 4:27 TPT)!
7. "Put your heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for the Lord himself and not merely for others" (Col 3:23 TPT).
8. "Then, as you unwrap my words, they will impart true life and radiant health into the very core of your being" (Prov 4:22 TPT).
9. "O God-Enthroned in heaven, I lift my eyes toward you in worship" (Ps 123:1 TPT).
10. "...We look to you, our God, with passionate longing to please you and discover more of your mercy and grace" (Ps 123:2 TPT).
11. "We acknowledge you as our Provider of all we need each day" (Matt 6:11 TPT).
12. "Today, these Scriptures came true in front of you'" (Luke 4:21 TPT).
Pray with me if you will…
Mighty God,
Thank You for Your compassion. I repent of indifference and inaction. Thank You for redeeming me fully—my timeline in my assignments, my path and all of my brokenness (Ps 139:24 TPT). Thank You for aligning me for victory every single time I run to You. Thank You for lightening my load and making me a more faithful steward like You. May I always remember that You will make a way in my impossibilities and that Your heart for me is love. Thank You for the glorious gift of finishing strong with You as I pick up my assignment (cross) and begin again (Mark 8:34 TPT). And believing You are the God of Jacob, who fights for me (Ps 46:11 TPT).
In Jesus’ Holy Name.
Amen.
Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ.
Originally published Sunday, 02 January 2022.
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