Wednesday, March 6, 2013

On Letting Him Hold and Plan the Future...


      Oh, Jesus’ timing is perfect!  How often do I forget that He knows all things and that I can trust Him to bring the right circumstances together at the right time with no manipulation of them on my part? What seems really good to me at the time is often not part of my God’s perfect plan that will bring the best, the great satisfaction, or the most glory to Him. 


Oh, Lord, look at this wonderful opportunity!
Then the door closes for some reason.

          Not now, dear one, He whispers.

Oh, Jesus, surely this is of You! How could it not be? I would be serving and loving people, sharing the Gospel. If only You’d let me go!

          I have you where you are for a reason, My daughter. Trust Me. Be silent. Be still.

God, if I don’t hurry up and act on this, I’ll never have another opportunity! Maybe all the positions will fill up or it won’t present itself again!

          When it’s My timing, I will make a way. Never forget, beloved, that I am God. I hold it all together.


Some verses that He really used to convict but also comfort and encourage me tonight were:

He preserves the way of His saints.” Proverbs 2: 8
          *Preserves means to keep, guard, protect, and pay heed to. He keeps, guards, protects, and pays heed to His purpose and plan. He will not let it slip or fall through His fingers. When it’s His timing, He will most certainly make a way. And nothing will be able to interfere with it!


Yet in this thing you did not believe the Lord your God, Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way you should go, and in a cloud by day.” Deuteronomy 1: 33
        *He has gone before! He knows the way, and He knows where and when the situation is supposed to come about. Take courage!


The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord, and he delights in His way.” Psalm 37: 23
          *the word ordered (or established in some translations) is in the perfect tense, meaning it’s already done and completed. His plan and purpose for my future is already completed. He knows what you will be doing this summer, next fall, in 5 years, etc. He has is already figured out, meaning we don’t need to try to figure out our futures.


The Lord knows the way of the righteous…” Psalms 1: 6
*The Greek translation of the Old Testament translates the word “know” as Ginosko, which is the intimate form of knowing, as in a marriage relationship. God intimately knows our futures and ways. It’s not something that He just thinks about now and again or that’s no-big-deal if it “happens” to get messed up. He intimately knows it and will care for it!


With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” II Chronicles 32: 8


So the question now is: will we choose to manipulate our circumstances and take things into our own hands to accomplish what we think would be best? Or will we let Him fight on our behalf? Will we let Him write our life stories and make them far more beautiful than we ever could?


“It is a mercy that our lives are not left for us to plan, but that our Father chooses for us; else might we sometimes turn away from our best blessings, and put from us the choicest and loveliest gifts of  His providence.” Susannah Spurgeon


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