May He Equip You

May He equip you with all you need for doing His will.

May He produce in you through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him.

All glory to Him forever and ever! Amen.

Hebrews 13:21 NLT

“May He equip you...” Paul prays. As I read over these words I change them to make a prayer of my own. “Lord, Equip Me!” I cry out to Him. “I can’t do this without You!” Tears flow down my cheeks as I continue on in prayer. He gently reminds me that He already has and He will continue to do so.

I try to take in His words without talking back. Do you talk back to God? Maybe it’s just me! I want to say, “But, God You told me that before. And yet, I still feel so ill equipped. When are you going to help me?”

Each day I feel as though I am in a constant state of learning new things. And I’m never quite sure if I’m doing the right thing. So much of life that comes our way is new territory. As a new wife, a new mom, a new employee, a new student, we have to face up to doing things we have never done before. We have to learn.

Before being interviewed on a radio program yesterday I mentioned that I was nervous. The words, “Radio always intimidates me” sting my ears as I re-read them now. Another belief that keeps me stuck and feeling ill equipped. Yesterday was not my first interview and I’m sure it won’t be the last. As a recording artist, part of promoting my music means I have to put myself in the public eye. I have to speak up and give people a reason to listen to what God has laid on my heart through song. Each experience equips me for the next one. Ah, there it is. He has answered my prayer!

Equip means ‘to supply’. Equip means ‘to prepare’.

He supplies our needs in His timing. He prepares us for what comes next with each experience. It doesn’t always come at once. That would be too overwhelming to take in.

My brother John has the perfect radio voice. He worked at a radio station for most of his life. He’s a natural! He started off as a DJ, and whether it was a house party, or on the campus of the local university, or at the roller skating rink he was letting the words flow and keeping everyone happy and dancing and in a good mood. Before he ever hit the airwaves he was a master on the microphone. One day, when I was around 16 years old, I had to take a meal to him at the station he was working at. He mentioned my name on the air and started a conversation with me. With a nervous giggle I managed to say, “you’re welcome”. And got out of there as fast as I could. That was the day the belief formed in me that I can’t handle radio. I knew I could never do it as naturally as he does. I need God’s gentle reminders that I’m not an awkward 16 year old anymore. And that I’m capable of learning to do things that don’t come naturally. God quips us in order to produce in us every good thing that is pleasing to Him.

Click to Tweet: God equips us in order to produce in us every good thing that is pleasing to Him. @alidasharpmusic 

It pleases Him for us to give Him glory. It pleases Him when we trust in His plans. It pleases Him when we let go of self and move forward with the task we’ve been given to do. It pleases Him when we do not despise the small increments of growth we endure as we get started. He rejoices, it says in Zechariah 4:10, to see the work begin.

Over the years my brother’s DJ voice grew from one people listened to with excitement at a party to one that people listened to for information and took comfort in during a storm. God’s equipping is not a magic wand waved over our heads. It is forged in the trenches as we dig through the dailiness of the task He set before us. He calls us and He equips us for His glory and for our transformation. May each of us relax, take a step back from striving, and let His work begin in us.   

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