My day started off wonderfully. I got up, poured myself a cup of coffee, sat outside enjoying the beauty of God's creation, and opened my Bible to see what the Lord had for me this morning. It was a wonderful time of communing with my Savior. For a few brief moments, it was like no one else was in the world but me and my God.
Soon after having my devotions, I had to drive to a location about 15 minutes away to get some work done in a relatively quiet spot. On the way there, I was singing to the Lord and had a very conscious sense of being filled with the Spirit. I thanked the Lord for getting my day off to such a good start, for the joy of His presence, and I prayed that this would continue throughout the day.
All went well for about an hour, then came the test. While walking from one place to another, for some reason I reached back to feel for my wallet in my back pocket. It wasn't there. I went to where I was sitting; it wasn't there, either. I went up to the counter of the coffee shop where I had made a purchase, thinking I left it there. It wasn't there either, and none of the staff had seen it. My heart began to race. You know the feeling! My driver's license, cash, credit cards, and the like were all in there. I got all worried and distraught as I continued looking for my wallet. A couple employees helped me. Finally, I was able to find it on the floor, having traced back my steps. It had fallen out of my back pocket (which in this particular pair of shorts is pretty small). I breathed a sigh of relief as I sat back down and resumed working.
But as I did so, I thought of how quickly I moved from walking in the Spirit to worry. One quick change in circumstances is all it took! To be more precise, I found myself struggling between worry (walking in the flesh) and trusting in the Lord (walking in the Spirit). I know this because even as I was guilty of worrying, I was praying the whole time, asking the Lord to calm my spirit, to help me to give this situation to Him, and to show me where my wallet was!
In this one little incident I was reminded of the great struggle of the Christian life - the struggle to keep my focus on my Savior instead of my circumstances. Scripture tells me to "be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication" to let my requests be made known to God, offering them in a spirit of thanksgiving. This can only come by the Spirit. In and of myself, I am weak, frail, and always vacillating.
Well, thank God I found my wallet. More importantly, I praise Him for being so patient with me. How glad I am that He who started His work in me will complete it till the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6). Why? Because the One who calls me is faithful, who also will do it (1 Thes. 5:24)!