We all have hopes for how things will go and there are times when those hopes aren't realized exactly as we had envisioned. The problem with this may not be so much that our hopes were wrong or even wrongly placed, but that we look to the future with limited knowledge and even limited control. It is for this reason when we plan that we are to do so with the understanding that God is sovereign over every aspect of our lives and that He will work all things for good for those who love Him and who are seeking after His purposes (Romans 8:28).
One passage that I've come back to over and over again over my years as a Christian is Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” But along with this there are so many other passages which speak of God’s hand and His watch care over us, that when stuff doesn't shape up as I had hope, and I am tempted to get disappointed and down, it is then that I have to purposely choose to refocus on just who My God is and what He has promised He would do. He never promised to make things easy. He did promise to bring me through it, and I must choose to trust Him in this.
At the same time, doing this also frees me to be able to rejoice in seeing His blessings shown of others. Even as we have engaged in the process of seeking a place of ministry this past year I have seen a number of churches make wise choices uniting themselves with wonderful pastors, who along with their families, have been brought together to grow together in His service. It has been a pleasure and even a joy to pray along with them in their searches, and rejoice with them in their conclusions. I can’t deny that I had hoped in many of the instances that I would have been selected, but I also know that my God is the one directing their steps as well as mine, and in that I am content to search and wait on Him.
How are you doing with the situations in your life right now? I know there must be some painful ones and some that seem very ominous. But at the same time I know our God is capable and trustworthy to handle them. Won’t you place them in His hands? After all it is His hands which enclose you before and behind and He is the One who knows absolutely everything about you.
Psalm 139:1-5 O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.
Today in “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young (5/22)
When things don’t go as you would like, accept the situation immediately. If you indulge in feelings of regret, they can easily spill over the line into resentment. Remember that I am sovereign over your circumstances, and humble yourself under My mighty hand. Rejoice in what I’m doing in your life, even though it is beyond your understanding.
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In Me you have everything you need, both for this life and for the life yet to come. Don’t let the impact of the world shatter your thinking or draw you away from focusing on Me. The ultimate challenge is to keep fixing your eyes on Me, no matter what is going on around you. When I am central in your thinking, you are able to view circumstances from My perspective.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he made lift you up in due time. 1 Peter 5:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
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