Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
Have you ever spent time planning something then for no real unexplained reason you end up going a different direction? We have all had that happen. You see the heart wants what the heart wants, but The Lord will step in to keep us from straying too far off the path. He nudges, He prompts, He sends the spirit to guide. We plan, we plot, we spend our time looking towards where we want to go, not necessarily where we need to go. We are only human, not perfect, nowhere near if we are to be honest. So everything we want, everything we desire, is not always the best for us, or for the Lord. Yet we want it anyway. What God we serve!
I often hear the question, if the Lord can guide, if He can establish, then why not just line us out? You know why don’t we wake up in the morning, and right in the middle of our prayer, God breaks in directly, and says “OK, today this is what I need from you. I need you to go here, do this, and then go see this person” , Or maybe “today, I need you to work on this” Why can’t it just be that simple? Well, there are a couple of points to that question. First, where would the love come in? If we did it because we were told to, what would be the point? We are not down here doing anything that God can’t do for himself. Do you really think God needs us to go feed the homeless? Did He not feed an entire nation when they were homeless? Does He need us to go care for the sick? Did Christ himself not heal with a touch, or with a simple command? No, please never confuse “doing God’s work” with doing something in the name of God, because if you don’t He can’t”. We do these things so we can be living examples of God’s love, and that is a task that must be chosen to do. Just as each one of us were chosen by the Lord. Christ Told us, “You did not choose me, but I chose you” He chose us, and He chose to love us. If He did it because He “had to” then the love would not be present, it would be nothing more than a function. A check mark on a list. That is not love, that is something else entirely.
Secondly, what if I were to tell you that God does break into your day (and sometimes your prayers) and nudges you in the direction of His plan? He does, but as this scripture points out, sometimes we are busy following our plans, and we do not see His. Want to know what the Lord wants you to work on today? See what comes into your life. For some reason no matter what time I leave, I typically run into traffic at some point on the way in to work. I only have a 15 minute drive……traffic….at 6:45….really? Yeah, that is no surprise, I need to work on my patience, and I find it no surprise I am provided with opportunities to work on that. Another good example is who the Lord brings into my life daily. It never fails, I typically have to deal with a few people who really have the unique ability to grind on my nerves. Yeah……sometimes I really need to work on seeing people for who they are, instead of just how they affect me….you might say I can be a little selfish. You know, I talked to a friend of mine the other day, and we were talking about this very subject. He looked at me and proceeded to tell me that he does not have those types of people in his life…..I said never? He said he could not think of one person that would meet that description. I am left with no other alternative than to believe the my friend must of lined that issue out, and is now on to other things. How about the people that need help, the people that are hurting, the opportunities that come up to make a difference, but overlap the football game, or the night out on the town? You see, we ask for God’s guidance, but I tell you…..He is offering guidance every day…..but we have to choose to follow. We have to make a choice between our heart’s earthly desire, and the desire to follow the steps the Lord has lined up for us.
I will leave you with this thought. If your brother or sister called and asked something of you would you go do it? What if it got in the way of your plans? Would you still go? What if by doing this thing you knew you could show them how much you loved them. Wouldn’t you do it? What if it was your Dad, or your Mom? They asked you to do something, maybe they did not even ask (you know how parents can be) maybe they just dropped a hint, or you picked up on something they said. Wouldn’t you make it a point to do it? Even if you had to change your plans? Of course you would, you love them, and you want them to know it, you want an opportunity to show them. SO you put your plans to the side, and you work on theirs. God, Christ, The Holy Spirit….are they not our family as well? Honestly, don’t they love you more than your own parents, your siblings? Then, how can we not lay down our plans, and follow the steps the Lord has laid out for us? Oh we will always want what the heart wants, but we choose what we will go after. Every day, sometimes every hour. We make a choice. Will we close our eyes and blindly follow our hearts desire, or will we live with our eyes open, looking for the things the Lord beings into our life? Will we choose us or Him. It really comes down to a simple question……who do you love?
God Bless,
Brian Thetford
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