In the military, life takes twists and turns, but I’ve often admired myself for being so willing to go wherever God sends us. [Warning! Warning!] I would not dream of telling God where we should go, [Warning! Warning!] especially since NM was not even on our dream sheet but was obviously God’s plan for us.
Funny thing, this, because the unpredictability was predictable. I knew last year what Lee’s goals were, our desires and goals for our family. I even had a good idea where we were going to end up next. Then I discovered a few months ago that Lee was rethinking all that, and all the predictability was gone. I honestly wasn’t sure that I was comfortable with some of the changes (including some increased work hours for Lee for a few years). Moreover, I had some good reasons to inform God why we needed to be one place over the other.
Before long, I realized I was worrying that things out of my control would turn out for bad, and I had slipped into a self assigned role as chief adviser to God regarding my life. I need a good dose of reality and repentance.
Maybe you need the same medicine. Here it is!
Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD,
Or as His counselor has taught Him?
14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,
And taught Him in the path of justice?
Who taught Him knowledge,
And showed Him the way of understanding?Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:“ My way is hidden from the LORD,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:13-14; 27-31
We do need wisdom as we make choices that God gives us. Sometimes we don’t really know what is best. But when it comes to life circumstances out of our control, we can trust God’s care in our lives. He is the Wonderful Counselor.
I heard something marvelous the other day regarding our choice v. God’s choice for us. “whenever I am tempted to be down about how something turned out and I want to tell God that I wouldn’t have chosen that for my life, I am reminded that I wouldn’t have chosen God in the first place. He gave Himself to me, as His choice for my life, even though I didn’t want Him. Now I see that He knows exactly what I need, and maybe my choices are not the best.”
That’s a good quote, Monica. Thanks for sharing it!