What if the breakthrough you’re praying for isn’t waiting on God’s provision… but on your surrender?
Sometimes we spend months searching for answers, weighing options, seeking advice, and worrying about the future. Yet often, God is doing a deeper work beneath the surface. Before He changes our circumstances, He changes us.
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https://ozsazzles.podbean.com/e/whats-your-treasure
Do you ever struggle to make a decision?
I certainly do.
I think part of it is tied to perfectionism, the desire to make the right decision every time. Perhaps it comes from some of the poor choices I’ve made throughout my life. Impulsive decisions that led to broken trust, damaged relationships, financial hardship, and worst of all, walking away from God.
Recently, my husband Peter and I found ourselves facing an important financial decision that weighed heavily on our hearts. The outcome had the potential to affect people we love deeply and possibly impact trust within our relationships.
For more than six months, we explored every possible option. We gathered information, sought advice, analyzed scenarios, prayed, procrastinated, worried, and stressed. We wanted to be certain we were making the right choice.
At the same time, God was gently teaching us what it means to align our lives with His principles. It wasn’t always comfortable, and at times it felt like a very bumpy road indeed.
Learning to Listen
One day Peter spent time praying and reading his Bible. Afterwards, he came and shared what he believed God was showing him.
I am slightly ashamed to admit that my first thought was, “That’s a stupid idea.”
Almost immediately, however, another thought followed with surprising clarity:
“Do not crush him, Sandy.”
So instead of dismissing his suggestion, I asked a few curious questions. Then I suggested we pray about it and sleep on it.
The next day we discussed the pros and cons together and revisited the alternatives we had been considering. As we talked, something shifted. It was as though a light came on.
When I removed the emotion from the situation, I could suddenly see that Peter’s suggestion made financial sense.
I realized I had been wrong.
So I told him.
Together we discussed the way forward, came into agreement, and made a decision. Almost immediately, peace settled over us. We were united.
What Is Your Treasure?
A few days later we were spending time with our grandchildren at a park overlooking the beach.
As I admired the beautiful view, I found myself grieving a different future, the retirement dream I had quietly held in my heart. I had imagined living by the beach one day.
Then a question rose gently within me:
“Is that your treasure?”
In other words, was living at the beach the thing I desired above all else?
Without hesitation, my heart responded:
“No, Lord. My deepest longing is that my entire family and household for a thousand generations would love You, know You, follow You all their lives, and bring others to know You.”
The moment I answered, something remarkable happened.
The grief disappeared.
The regret vanished.
Peace flooded my heart.
The dream of living at the beach had never been the treasure. It was simply a preference. My true treasure was, and still is, the salvation of my family and future generations.
The God Who Opens Our Eyes
What happened next surprised both Peter and me.
Within a few hours, everything changed.
Not because new money suddenly appeared.
Not because an unexpected windfall arrived.
But because God opened our eyes to a solution that had been there all along.
A conversation took place that caused us to look at our situation differently. What we had previously viewed one way suddenly looked completely different.
The circumstances themselves hadn’t changed.
The resources hadn’t changed.
But our understanding had.
As I reflected on this, I realized that God often works this way.
Sometimes He provides something entirely new.
Other times, He opens our eyes to what He has already provided.
The miracle wasn’t simply provision.
The miracle was perspective.
The miracle was clarity.
The miracle was seeing the situation through God’s eyes rather than our own.
What had once felt like a burden suddenly became manageable.
What had seemed impossible suddenly had a pathway forward.
And what brought me the greatest joy was not the solution itself, but the realization that God had been faithfully at work all along.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.
Psalm 37:5 (ESV)
Looking back, it seems to me that Peter first had to surrender to God and take up the mantle of responsibility for our family.
Then I had to surrender my own plans and dreams and trust both God and my husband.
Only after our hearts were aligned did God reveal the way forward.
He truly is a good Father.
Not because He always gives us what we want.
But because He faithfully guides us, provides for us, and lovingly teaches us to trust Him.
And in His goodness, as well as making a way, He opened a future that may still include some of the desires we thought we had lost.
How like God.
Not always to change our circumstances immediately.
Not always to give us everything we think we want.
But to faithfully guide us, teach us, and reveal His goodness along the way.
He is a good Father.
He knows what we need long before we ask.
He sees the path when we can only see the next step.
And when we trust Him enough to surrender our plans into His hands, we discover that His wisdom is far greater than our own.
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
Matthew 7:11 (NKJV)
Sometimes God changes our circumstances.
Sometimes He changes our perspective.
And sometimes He does both.
Either way, we can trust His heart toward us.
What About You?
Is there a decision you’re struggling to make?
A dream you’re afraid to surrender?
A burden you’ve been carrying for months?
Perhaps God is asking you the same question He asked me:
“What is your treasure?”
When we place Him first, we discover that nothing surrendered to God is ever truly lost.
And sometimes, after He has transformed our hearts, He surprises us with blessings we never saw coming.
He truly is the God of the impossible.
Prayer
Father, thank You that You are a good, good Father who knows exactly what Your children need. Thank You that Your plans are always better than our own, even when we cannot yet see the outcome.
Lord, help us to surrender our fears, our dreams, our timelines, and our need to control every situation. Teach us to trust You completely and to walk in unity with those You have placed in our lives.
Where there is confusion, bring wisdom.
Where there is anxiety, bring peace.
Where there seems to be no way forward, make a way.
And Lord, remind us that our greatest treasure is not found in possessions, locations, finances, or plans, but in knowing You and seeing those we love come to know You as well.
May we always seek first Your kingdom and trust You with everything else.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Activation
- Ask God: “Lord, what is my treasure?”
Write down whatever comes to mind and prayerfully consider whether anything has become more important than Him. - Identify one decision or burden you have been carrying.
Surrender it to God in prayer and ask Him for wisdom rather than certainty. - Thank God in advance for His provision, even before you see the outcome.
Faith grows when we praise Him before the breakthrough arrives. - Read Psalm 37 and reflect on what it means to truly commit your way to the Lord.
- Pray a blessing over your family and future generations using these verses:
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)
the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
May His favor rest upon you, your children, your grandchildren, and generations yet to come.
With love,
Sandy Clancy
Right now is always the best time to begin with God.
If this message blessed you, please share it with someone who might need it today. I’d love to hear how God has asked you to choose Him first. Please share in the comments below.
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