Things sometimes don’t work out the way we want and it doesn’t end well. Yesterday Pastor Tim Dubois gave a message from Matthew 14 about how things ended for one of the greatest men who lived, John the Baptist. Listen to his message.
This may be one of the hardest lessons we can learn and try to understand, and that is allowing God to be God. If we could raise our standard of thinking to honor and elevate God’s greatness and power, perhaps we can better live today bowing to His purposes for the lives He gave us. Did you catch that last part? Bowing to the purpose for the life He gave us. Let’s get some things straight here before we go debating what we think is a good idea or not.
You see we don’t call the shots. Not when it’s a triffle matter or when it’s a big deal. God does. It’s a wonder He carries on faithfully with us when we choose to live upset that He is doing things His way and not ours. We are always the children who think they know better?
Though you may not like this answer, if you are struggling today with the “cards” you’ve been given. Let me give you a challenge: Honestly work through where you would be without Him. Play out your preferred plan in your mind’s eye, telling God, you’re going to take over from here, and do it your way, toward’s your own end result. How do you think that will work out for you? Will you not be overwhelmed with the responsibility for everything else and all circumstances surrounding you? Can you really handle it on your own?
I believe every day we forget how much – how much! – God has done and taken care of for us. Truly not only is He doing a good job knowing the plans He has for us, to prosper us and not to harm us, but He is doing the BEST job. So before you go grabbing the steering wheel of your life back, to take a turn you would prefer, remember who’s been driving and got you that far in the first place.
Before you chuck this post and my challenge to the wind. Consider the words of Kara Tippetts, who died 7 months ago at age 38.
“My little body has grown tired of battle and treatment is no longer helping. But what I see, what I know, what I have is Jesus. He has still given me breath, and with it I pray I would live well and fade well. By degrees doing both, living and dying, as I have moments left to live.” ~ Kara Tippetts, 3/22/2015.
Follow Kara’s stories from her family of 4 as they accept God’s no and move on at http://www.mundanefaithfulness.com.
Jenny Maass is an advocate of Griefshare. She lost her father to cancer in May 2010. Learn more about Griefshare
Jenny Maass 