God Said, ‘It’s Proving Season’
Got a pressing problem and no visible solution? Been feeling worried, stressed, and frustrated about it? In today’s devotion, Dianna Hobbs speaks a word into your situation to remind you that God will prove Himself faithful once again, just as He always does.
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Ever think back on the stuff that worried you sick when you were younger that you now laugh about?
Me too.
When the Hobbs children were little, I used to worry about things like, how will I ever potty train them? Wean them? Teach them to crawl? Walk? And how will they learn to read?
It’s funny now, but a sista was stressed.
I lost hours of sleep gazing at the ceiling, sometimes feeling inadequate and paranoid about the future. If older Dianna could talk to younger Dianna, I’d say, “Girl, those kids will be fine. Take yourself to sleep!”
Kedar, Kaleb, Kyla, and Kaiah are all grown now. The questions and concerns change, but now I have enough wisdom, experience, and maturity to know they will be okay.
That doesn’t mean I have all the answers.
Child, I don’t.
But I know the One who does.
Worrying is so pointless because I don’t have the ability to anticipate every issue that will arise or enough knowledge to know exactly what to do when it does.
But again, I know the One who does, and that’s what matters.
***
It was this morning’s devotion that led me to this thought.
At the time, I was reading Matthew 14, where Jesus had withdrawn to a place of solitude after hearing about the death of His cousin, John the Baptist.
Despite seeking isolation, the crowds found Him and followed Him.
To no one’s surprise, He was moved with compassion and healed the sick among them (Matthew 14:13-14).
As the healing crusade carried on, evening neared, and the disciples grew concerned. They were worried because, basically, they were in the middle of nowhere, it was getting late, and thousands of hungry folks lingered. They told Jesus to send the crowd away so they could go to the nearby villages and buy food.
Jesus told them, “They need not depart; give ye them to eat” (Matthew 14:16 KJV).
The disciples answered, um, what?
“We have here but five loaves, and two fishes” (v. 17), not nearly enough for a crowd of thousands.
Jesus replied to His anxiety-ridden disciples with a simple command: “Bring them hither to me” (v. 18).
Ah, you already know. Whenever we bring a situation to Jesus, no matter what it is, His supernatural power creates outcomes we hadn’t even considered possible.
And so it was in this passage.
The Savior took the loaves and fish, looked up to heaven, blessed them, broke the bread, and gave it to the disciples to distribute. Everyone ate until they were full, and afterward twelve baskets of fragments remained (vv. 19-20).
Supernatural multiplication!
That wasn’t on the disciples’ bingo card at all, was it?
Nope.
And there is something that hasn’t been on your bingo card that God is going to do too. You don’t expect it. You don’t know how to do it. You can’t rationalize it. You’ve never even considered it. But God has dipped His miraculous hands into the situation and changed the equation entirely.
When Jesus intervenes, nothing is the same.
Can I get a witness on that?
***
In the book of John, we receive more insight into this story that absolutely excites me. Before Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves, He asked Philip, “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”
Then the writer John does something Matthew didn’t: he explains why Jesus asked the question in the first place. “And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do” (John 6:5-6 KJV).
Jesus was “proving” Philip because He knew what He would do.
Okay.
Well, what does that mean?
In John 6:6, the Greek word peirazō means to test, try, or put someone to the proof. It is also used in the Greek Old Testament in Genesis 22:1, when God tested Abraham, and in Exodus 16:4, where God said He would test Israel with manna.
When we see this particular word, prove, it reinforces the idea of someone being placed in a circumstance that reveals something about their faith, obedience, or thinking.
In other words, through tests and trials, God proves our faith and proves Himself faithful.
That’s why God sent me today. Somebody reading this has been stressing over a circumstance you don’t know how to fix.
God told me to tell you it’s proving season.
That means He has allowed your present situation to reveal to you where your trust really lies when you do not know what God is going to do. God always knows what He’s going to do. He just wants to teach you to trust Him to do it when you cannot see the plan.
That’s all.
***
Consider this.
In both Matthew and John, Jesus, the Bread of Life and the Living Water, was standing in the disciples’ midst, yet they were worried.
The answer was already there before the question ever surfaced, since Jesus predates the problem. Yet human nature stirs up anxiety when life stretches us beyond what we can see, understand, or solve in the natural.
It’s easy to declare, God, I trust You, when the bills are paid, the cabinets are full, the doctor’s report is excellent, the account balance looks good, the relationship is thriving, the plan is going along smoothly, and the most pressing questions have obvious answers.
But what about when things get thick?
When you have come to the end of yourself and run out of solutions?
What do you do then?
I hear in the Spirit, this trying season has been nothing more than a faith assessment, a trust evaluation, a confidence gauge. God has been showing you where you really stand, what you really believe, and whether your testimony can truly withstand the test.
Again, God already knows the great things He will do.
The question is, do you trust Him?
***
Today, God is asking you to trust Him with what exceeds your capabilities, goes beyond your intellect, stymies your progress, and surpasses the limitations of your abilities. He wants you to stop worrying and begin declaring His Word, speaking His promises, and expecting a divine solution to manifest at any moment.
Right now, the Lord’s word to you is Philippians 4:6-7, which is what I’m stirring as the sweetener in your cup of inspiration. It says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
As you drink down the contents of your cup, friend, trust God with what troubles you. Believe Him for answers you cannot see. And rejoice in advance for incredible outcomes you could have neither orchestrated nor predicted.
Your flesh might be crying out, “God, what are You doing?” Let your spirit answer, “He’s doing what no other power can do.”
He’s turning your not enough into more than enough. Your lack into abundance. Your sickness into health. The closed door into an open opportunity. Your mourning into rejoicing. Your tearful sowing into joyful reaping. Your extreme drought into showers of blessings you won’t have enough room to receive.
Believe that with all your heart despite what you see.
This is how you avoid unnecessary worry, stress, fear, and doubt and experience the peace of God that’s available to all of us.
He’s proving your faith.
And no doubt, He will prove Himself faithful, just as He always does.
Will you pray with me?
God, thank You for assuring me that there is nothing that worries, concerns, or stresses me that is beyond Your power to transform. Today, I give my cares over to You, for I know You care for me.
I declare by faith, even though I cannot see it, You are already bringing about outcomes and breakthroughs I could never fathom or produce.
Thank You for Your power, provision, and faithfulness in every season!
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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Sow a SeedAs always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
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In today’s devotion, Dianna Hobbs shares how God’s healing reaches beyond the physical body into every broken, barren, dry, and bitter place of our lives.