God Is In Control
What if you could know God’s will for your life – from beginning to end? What if you could know in advance the best school to attend, or the right job to take, or the perfect person to marry? Life would be so much easier, right? Not necessarily. In fact, knowing in advance – and in every detail – what God wants you to do might just scare you to death!
You would know about all this great stuff God has in mind for you, and it might seem incredible. Or you would know about the tough stuff God will allow you to go through, and it might seem impossible. Either way, you might forget that God delights in doing the incredible, and you might not remember that He has promised to get you through the impossible – leading you to play it safe the rest of your life. Of course, that’s not what God wants for you. He doesn’t want you to play it safe. God wants more for you than you could possibly want for yourself.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.†1 Corinthians 2:9
Even though you don’t know exactly what God has prepared for you, you can be sure He has your best interest in mind. Meanwhile, you don’t have to be completely in the dark when it comes to knowing God’s will. And that means you can trust Him in good times and bad, when you’re rich and when you’re poor, when you’re healthy and when you’re sick. God doesn’t change just because your circumstances do.
Never forget that God knows you better than you know yourself, and He knows what’s best for you. God knows your weaknesses, and He knows your strengths. God knows your fears, and He knows your hopes. God will never mislead you or do you harm.
“For I know the plans I have for you,†says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.†Jeremiah 29:11
Try to see things from God’s perspective. When you insist on seeing God’s will from your perspective, then your main concern is doing stuff for God. You get caught up in your own performance. By contrast, when you see God’s will from His perspective, you are more concerned about being. Sure, God wants you to do stuff for Him, but He’s more interested in the kind of person you are becoming than the specific things you are doing. He knows that when your being is right, your doing will be right, and you will be doing more things that please Him.
Commit yourself to the will of God. This means trusting that God has your best interests in mind at all times. Trusting God for your future – whether that future is tomorrow or ten years from now – begins with trusting God now. Once you have committed to doing God’s will – regardless of what it is and what it costs – God will guide you every step of the way.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
In the tough stuff…
The best thing about God’s will is that it is always the best.
God doesn’t love you for what you do; He loves you for who you are.
That being said, God loves it when you do what He wants you to do.
Finding God’s will should be satisfying, not frustrating.
Don’t wait for God to do something before you trust Him. Trust Him first, and then watch Him work.
(Excerpt from “God Is In the Tough Stuff†by Bruce & Stan)
