Manifesting faith in God is not a production full of pomp and fanfare. Manifesting trust in God is not a spectacle worthy of the world's applause. Manifesting confidence and belief that God will provide and take care of us needs not be so full of stress and strain that it leaves us drained. Manifesting utter dependence on God is an intensely personal matter between each of us and our God.

In the process of trying so hard to be good, righteous, strong, etc; many people fail to understand that our purpose in this life is not to look good, be perfect or to build monuments of our accomplishments upon every street corner or stage. We were not saved to bring glory to ourselves but rather to He who gave Himself for us.

Our reason, first and foremost, for existing is to love God and allow Him to guide, direct and lead us into a greater understanding of His heart and will. Our reason for trusting Him is because we love Him. Our reason for living is because He loved us.

Believe it or not, this life is NOT all about us but rather all about HIM. God did not choose us and save us so that we live our lives in the lap of luxury or for the applause of man. God did not touch our lives so that we could walk away from Him to pursue worldly interests and make a name for ourselves. God did not lovingly give His Son so that we can live blissfully without Him.

The more one's life totally revolves around God and the burning desire to please Him, the less appealing this world becomes. The more one lives with the expectation of the glory which lays ahead, the less one is willing to devote their heart to worldly matters. Truly, the more we retreat into the love, grace, mercy and Providence of God, the more all the stress and strain of this life calms down and is replaced by quiet peace.

Many people spend a lifetime waiting for God to write His will for their lives on the wall. Many people do nothing for God as they wait for some message written in lightning and thunder to direct their paths. Many people do not believe God cares about them unless the earth moves under their feet and a booming voice from heaven announces God's presence.

The voice of God is a whisper that is rarely heard unless our heart is quiet and our mind is peaceful. We may be surrounded by the enemy, stripped of all honor and provisions, alone, rejected and forsaken; but if we have stillness in our heart we will know that God is there.

We can be given a notice of foreclosure, bankruptcy, terminal illness or utter rejection, and still manifest peace and quiet confidence if the still small voice of God is allowed to rule in our hearts and drown out the cries arising from fear, anger or pain. Of all the things we should desire in this life, none is so great or necessary as the peace that comes from knowing God's still small voice and His quiet assurance to us that all is well.

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