Maneuvers - No. 38
I Delight in
Your Work
What’s your passion right now, friend? Where are you pouring your time, energy, and creativity?
It feels good to work on something we’re passionate about, doesn’t it? And it’s no wonder—that’s how God made us… to work with his strength and joy.
But sometimes, after working toward a goal for a while, that passion can begin to wane. Maybe we’re not seeing the fruits of our labor, and we begin to wonder what we’re doing with our lives. In that place, we lose sight of the delight God feels in our work for him.
“What’s the point?” we might wonder. “What am I actually accomplishing?”
Or maybe we’ve become so fixated on our goal that we feel we know exactly what to do, when to do it, and how to get things done. Perhaps we’ve been at it so long that we don’t depend on Holy Spirit’s help and inspiration like we used to.
We’ve been there, too.
But what if there was another way? What if we could have a continuous child-like joy, curiosity, and enthusiasm in whatever God has called us to do? And what if, instead of feeling like failures when we don’t meet a standard imposed by the world, we simply enjoyed the journey, allowing Holy Spirit to lead us, nourish us, and energize us along the way?
Our heavenly Father is inviting us into that kind of relationship with him. So today, we’re inviting you to join us in quieting our hearts and hearing Holy Spirit’s message for us…
01.
The Message
“You have come a long way, journeyed far, and I have not forgotten you. Your toil is not in vain. Your energy to create and learn and serve blesses me; I love it when your heart is full of gratitude for all that you have been given. I delight in your efforts—your true heart to grow and take on challenges. I have made you to accomplish great things, beautiful things—things that bring healing to people, things that bring restoration to you.
“Keep your eyes turned on me as you work. Keep your heart aligned with my intentions, my plans—for even if you think you don’t know them exactly, you do know my character. Don’t assume you know which way to turn, what road to take, what decision to make. Surrender all moments to me, all opportunities to me, all choices to me.
“See me with you, hear me speaking to you—in all situations. For even when you feel like I am silent, my love for you guides you. My love is never silent. My love is never distant. My love is what you can trust as your main navigator in this life. Anything else that you use as your guide will deceive you and cause you to fall. But my love does not fail you. It does not deter from strengthening your heart as it increases in its love for me in return.
“Let me nourish you. Let me fill you. Let me equip you to do the things I have designed for you to do. Let me excite you, energize you, motivate you, stir you. Let me inspire you as you wait on me, trust in me, turn to me, rest in me. Your pace is not my pace. Your ideas are not my ideas. Surrender all to me. Let me participate in all the moments of your day, and all the dreams for your future, and all the stories you tell yourself about your past. Let me guide you deeper into new places you have not journeyed before, to see me with fresh eyes and a new, restored heart that I cherish and protect and delight in.
“Oh, I love you. I love you. I love you. See me bending low and giving you everything that is my own. Dear one, watch what happens when you give everything back to me.”
02.
Listen
Let’s pause here and allow Holy Spirit’s words to sink in. What stands out to us the most in this week’s message? How does it apply to our lives?
Let’s pull out our journals and write out our response to the Lord.
03.
Think
“That’s what I’m working so hard at day after day, year after year, doing my best with the energy God so generously gives me” (Colossians 1:29, MSG).
1. What work has God called you to do? What has he called you to accomplish with him? What motivates you to pursue this goal?
2. In what ways have we perhaps become discouraged, distracted, or self-dependent in this work?
3. What aspects of our work (or the way we work) do we need to surrender to God? What does that surrender look like in a practical sense?
04.
Trust
God created each one of us with a unique, multifaceted calling. He’s even planned out many different works for us to accomplish—down to the smallest detail.
“He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing” (Ephesians 2:10, MSG).
These works aren’t meaningless tasks. They’re incredible adventures we get to take with him, accomplishments (no matter how small or seemingly menial) that have eternal significance.
And yet, it’s easy to get off course in the work we’ve been called to, isn’t it?
Have you ever found yourself getting discouraged or distracted and giving up on that God-given goal? Or perhaps we get so laser-focused on it that we give it everything we have—and burn out.
When we find ourselves in that place, how do we get back on track? How do we get back in sync with Holy Spirit, relying on his power for our work?
To answer those questions, let’s go back to this week’s message:
“Let me nourish you. Let me fill you. Let me equip you to do the things I have designed for you to do. Let me excite you, energize you, motivate you, stir you. Let me inspire you as you wait on me, trust in me, turn to me, rest in me. Your pace is not my pace. Your ideas are not my ideas. Surrender all to me.”
Yes, God calls us to accomplish great things—but not in our own strength. It may seem strange to the world, but we accomplish the most when we surrender control to Holy Spirit, when we allow ourselves to simply enjoy how he delights in what we do.
And sometimes, to do that, we have to go back to the beginning, back to the original call.
So today, we encourage you to join us in doing that. Let’s pull out our journals and write down the original vision Holy Spirit gave us. Maybe there was a defining encounter with God that initiated our life’s work (like the prophet Jeremiah). Or maybe our vision grew slowly over the years, burning in our hearts until we couldn’t ignore it anymore.
However it happened for us, let’s write it down. Let’s describe the burden we felt. The need we saw. The end goal we pictured. What inspired us? What gave us strength to push through when things were hard?
Now, let’s write down how that calling has shifted over time. How has Holy Spirit moved us in new directions and toward fresh horizons? What does it look like, right now, to rely on him in our calling?
As we pause to reflect over what we’ve just written, let’s keep our hearts open to Holy Spirit’s voice. What is he saying to us? What images come to mind? Now, let’s respond to him in prayer…
05.
Pray
Lord, thank you for the good things you’ve called me to accomplish—not alone, but with you and in you. Thank you that where I’m weak, you’re strong, and where I’m not enough, you’re more than enough.
Forgive me for wherever I’ve lost sight of what you’ve called me to do, where I’ve made decisions that didn’t line up with your heart. Give me fresh vision to enjoy this journey with you, knowing that you’re in control and that your plan is truly beautiful.
I love you and trust you, Jesus. I’ll follow wherever you lead.
In your name I pray, amen.
Waving the banner with you,
