HIS WAY IS BETTER THAN MY WAY

The LORD says, I will guide you along the

best pathway for your life. I will advise you

and watch over you. -- Psalm 32:8, NLT

Slowly, slowly, God has been revealing idols in my life I didn't even realize were idols, and how I have been relying on them instead of on Him and trying to micromanage outcomes that only He has control over. One by one, He has been stripping them away and redirecting my focus to where it needs to be. 

One major area has been work. Even though He has always provided for my needs and I've never been lacking, I exhaust myself working insane hours to try and get out of a financial pit He has allowed to get even deeper just to drive home the point that my efforts will never be enough. Yes, He expects me to do my best, but then leave the outcome to Him, knowing that He is the ultimate source of my supply. 

I have made idols of doctors and phlebotomists and now the new physical therapist who is doing wonders, but who is so booked up I spend a lot of time on his wait list waiting for cancellations. Again, instead  of trusting the outcome to the Lord who is the ultimate healer, I've been stressing about not being able to get enough appointments and the gaps between them being too long, when the fact is that  the Lord knows exactly how many appointments I need and when, and is quite capable of opening one up when He feels I need it, and without any help from me trying to manipulate things to fit what I think is best. 

 

It is so much more relaxing to relinquish control and rest in the knowledge that God's ways are better than my ways. I may not understand what He is doing at any given point or why, but I can trust that He is always in control and He sees the whole picture, the end from the beginning, whereas my view is limited to just one small piece of it. 

Things may not work out the way I want them to or expect they should, but of one thing I am sure. His plan is always the better plan and I might miss out on it if I try to hold too tightly to what I think is best and get in His way.  

IT'S ONLY A TEST

Stay alert! Watch out for your great

enemy, the devil. He prowls around

like a roaring lion, looking for

someone to devour. -- 1 Peter 5:8, NLT

This earth is not our home. It is more like a classroom where those who are in Christ and have accepted His gift of salvation are being refined, perfected, and molded into His image. The trials God allows build endurance, develop character, strengthen our spiritual muscles, and serve as a measure of our progress as we journey through life. 

My dying friend and her husband are shining examples of what it means to trust in God without wavering. His love shines through them even in the midst of their affliction, and their testimony has ministered to and encouraged me as well as many others. 

My friend's husband just sent out an update to let us know that she had been moved to an inpatient hospice facility. It included a beautiful tribute to her, as well as an account of how he had been able to witness to several people at the facility she was being transferred from about the goodness of God in the midst of the unexplainable. 

He likened their cancer experience to part of a masterpiece tapestry God is creating in which all of the good and "bad" things that have happened are being woven into the finished product. The difficult experiences are just as important to its beauty as are the joyful ones, and even though we may not understand or be able to make sense of them now, when we get to heaven the glory and beauty of what God has done will be revealed and we will marvel at it. Wow!  

My issues are so different from the ones my friend and her family are facing, and not nearly as devastating, but equally difficult to understand. For sure they aren't what I was expecting when I entered this chapter of my life with a blank notebook in which to record the things the Lord was about to do. 

He is doing many things, but not what I expected. I have had to give up my concept of what I think is best and acknowledge that not only are God's ways not my ways, but His way is the only way. He sees the whole picture, whereas my view is very limited. I need to trust that no matter what things may be looking like in the natural, He is in control and is working things out for my good and His glory (Romans 8:28).

I also need to remember that trials test the genuineness of our faith when Satan pushes our buttons and tries to get us to doubt the goodness of God, but God has given us all the tools we need in order to ace the test. He has given us His armor, His Word with which to counter every lie of the enemy, and the assurance that if we keep our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus and resist the devil, He will flee (Ephesians 6:11, 13; James 4:7). 

LORD, HELP ME OVERCOME MY UNBELIEF

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

show you which path to take. --

Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT

Today has been spent pondering many unsettling things I don't understand. Like why a friend who was making great progress in her cancer journey took a sudden turn for the worse and is now very close to the end. Or why every time I think I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel where my finances are concerned, it is soon followed by a major setback like my flipper breaking, or needing new glasses. 

Life has been so unpredictable. One thing after another has failed to turn out the way I anticipated it would. The only thing I can be sure of is that God loves me, that He is in control, and that I need to trust Him no matter how things may be looking in the natural. Sometimes though,  my faith wavers and I feel weary, and it's easier said than done. Like the father in Mark 9:24 I too want to cry out to Jesus, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief."

One of my devotionals today had some timely words of encouragement. It reminded me that it was only when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and fixed his gaze on the wind and the waves that his fear got the better of him and he started to drown.  The reality was that Jesus had His eyes on Peter from the very beginning, and there was no reason for him to be afraid.

God is with us every moment of every day, and if we keep our eyes on Jesus, the storms of life will not be able to engulf us and suck us down.