Trust Him, It's for Your Own Good

-

“My Thoughts are completely different than yours,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9

“I’ve got this.” A statement I often catch myself uttering both audibly and under my breath. And why not, I’ve made it this far on my own already.  I moved from MN to the big NYC when I was 19, served a year in Iraq, and have continued to thrive since, right?  Well, not exactly, I did not have a relationship with Jesus then, so when I got back from Iraq, these were my thoughts…

“Contemplation, my only solace to the lonesome crippling world I live in.  I must now adapt to the things around me.  Everything has changed so drastically from the comfortable life I once knew, a simple life of waking, school, and friends.  No longer am I a spectator watching the worlds events unfold on the mindless screen we all know and venerate.  I am now at the forefront of this epoch war awaiting my duty… It is so terribly hard to continue such a robotic methodical life I’m forced to live in this monetary driven society…I came home to a new world and dove in with such precision and pride…but now my darker days have caught up with me.  The euphoria of seeing my life of old has long since subsided.  Everything around me is so insignificant.  Will this feeling ever die or will I be forced to cope?”

When I gave my life to Christ, a wellspring of new life filled my soul, but even then once the euphoria subsided, I got frustrated in my circumstances, my unanswered prayers, my problems.  Where does this frustration and impatience come from, unbelief.  Ultimately we say, “God, I trust you, but I think I know a little bit more about (fill in with any area of your life) than you.”  What, are you kidding!? We are finite and limited in our knowledge and understanding of many many things.  We can NEVER fully understand the ways of God, as the verse states, it is “far beyond anything [we] could imagine.” We are stuck in this annoying little thing called time.  God however, transcends time and therefore sees and knows all.  He knows where we have been and where we are going and in this, knows the best way to get there.  What must we do then? We must simply repent and put our faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Proverbs 16:18 tell us, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before the fall.”  Repent and give that portion of our life that we refuse to release back to the one whom created us.

What area of your life needs to be released to God?  Where do you need to trust Him the most, relying on his knowledge instead of yours?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pray, Do Not Be Anxious

-
Image
Do not be anxious, rather pray.   Jesus made it possible for us to do so.   There was a giant chasm between God and us because of sin.   He is so holy, that sin cannot be in his presence, but Jesus has covered this sin, this stain, making us able to once again have communion with God.   Jesus is our mediator, our advocate.   When preparing this post and looking at what prayer is, it reminded me of a book I read called, The Necessity of Prayer by Edward Bounds.   His largest section and most influential was his work on prayer and faith.   As it should be, faith is the Christian anchor in prayer and touches every other aspect of our life.   Faith is obedient, trusting, and every other positive aspect.   Not only influential but also instructive in his writing, Bounds shows how Christians should pray by stating that, “faith must be definite, specific; an unqualified unmistakable request for the things asked for.” [1]   How true it is that we all too often pray for the grandio
Read more

Oh LORD, You're So Great

-
Image
It just amazes me how God answers prayers in ways we never expect. We almost tend to lower our expectations because we don't think God can handle what we actually want. But He always comes through, in His timing of course. So, a few weeks ago I went through my ordination board, which is a pretty big deal. Twelve pastors/elders/scholars that went through my twenty page ordination paper with a fine tooth comb and pretty much grilled me on my theology. Anyway, I received this card and little Bible from two wonderful people that have just been a joy in my life from 9th grade to present. This is what the card said, "I'm returning your little Bible to you. The last time you were at our house before you went overseas to serve our country, you handed me this Bible and told me you 'wouldn't be needing this.' I carried it in my purse as a prayer prompt. I was not sure if you meant you had another Bible? You did not need the Lord, you did not have faith - I just pray
Read more

Talking to Your Children After a Tragedy

-
Image
Father God, I pray peace emerges from the chaos that has engulfed the community of Newton, CT.  I pray you send your angels to comfort and minister to all who are involved and hurting. I pray your counsel will aid those in the process of grieving and allow healing to emerge.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen. During this tragic time I would like to offer some counsel on how to talk to children about traumatic events.  I want to be succinct and simple. ·       First and foremost, we must love them like there’s no tomorrow.   Physical touch like hugs and snuggles brings comfort and security to a now uncertain world.   ·       In this uncertainty, try to maintain a routine as best as possible.   This also brings a sense of safety and familiarity, which will help them cope better.   ·       Listen to your child, what are they saying, what are they not saying? It may be difficult for them to express what they are feeling, so gently ask questions to facilitate conversat
Read more