Please Note: Today's post is about God and being a Christian, so for those of you who aren't interested in reading, please feel free to check out my writer's blog instead.
Lately, I've been noticing something about the people coming to this blog to read posts. Almost none of them comment, so I only hope that the post I'd written fulfills their needs.
You see, the number 1 search topic bringing people to my blog is this: "Not my will, but yours." I know it goes to one of my posts from early from when this blog was still young. Sadly, I can't seem to find it, but I decided to write this anyway.
Because this is something I know people struggle with. Heck, I spent about half my life as a Christian (which is about eight years short of my whole life) struggling with it.
There's you. And stuff you want to do. And things you worry about.
And then there's God. Who sometimes lets things happen that we don't want to see happening.
So we (being delusional) have this tendency to think that we can do better at making sure our lives go well.
We believe in God. We're pretty sure He loves us, but we have this sneaking suspicion that if we let Him, He'll do a Jonah with us and force us to do stuff we absolutely refuse to do.
And since we're not all that thrilled at being swallowed by whales and prophesying (because that means standing up in front of people you don't know and who might ridicule you), we cling to the steering wheel in our lives with all we're worth.
Or maybe, something bad happened to you and you don't want to get hurt again.
Everyone has his or her reason to want to follow their will and not God's. All of them seem to be some form of self-preservation.
But letting God lead us is the best form of protection we have:
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
He’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
give Him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
your wine vats will brim over.
But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;
don’t sulk under his loving correction.
It’s the child he loves that God corrects;
a father’s delight is behind all this.
Proverbs 3:5-12 (The Message)
The bits I made bigger are promises.They don't say He might keep us on track. Or that He'll think about blessing you sometime. It says that if we let God take the lead in our lives, He'll never lead us in the wrong direction. We'll never be brought to face something that we aren't prepared for.
It also doesn't mean that we won't lose loved ones, or that we'll grow rich.
But it does mean that if we follow God's will, and are willing to be a blessing to people He guides you to bless, He will bestow blessing upon blessing on you. The more you do, the more He gives with which you can do things.
Best. Rewards Plan. EVER.
So in the smallest thing, in the biggest thing, in that thing that's been niggling you but that you think is too silly to ask Him about. EVERYTHING. Talk to Him. Refuse to make a decision until you're certain that it's what God wants. (And believe me, it's usually not a long time to wait.) Always be willing to embrace challenges. He won't ever lead you astray, even if you have to go through some troubling times first. Even if you disagree with the decision. Because if nothing else, He knows what's going on much better than you do.
I wish I could give you an easy way to do this, but I can't. It's a choice you make. Every single time something comes up. Only you can do it.
