In Isaiah 55:8-9 I read, “‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the LORD. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’" (NLT)
There have been many times when I’ve prayed for something, and God didn’t answer the way I wanted, or I feel like he didn’t answer at all.
Does that mean prayer doesn’t work? No, because I’ve seen it work too many times. Does it mean that God isn’t good? No, God is good, whether I’m in pain or not. Does it mean that I should give up on prayer? No! God is not a vending machine, and prayer is not a painkiller. He has not guaranteed me a pain-free life.
When I’m in pain and I pray but don’t see the answers, I shouldn’t give up. My job is to keep praying and keep trusting God, because I know that everything he does and allows in my life, he will use for good. God is a good, good Father, even when I’m in pain.
When a doctor cut me open during surgery, it caused some pain. But if that surgery saved my life, I wouldn’t say the doctor was bad; I’d recognize that the painful work saved my life.
When God doesn’t immediately end my pain, he is saying to me at that moment, “This pain may feel like too much. But my grace is sufficient for you.”
Almost everything I’ve learned in life, I’ve learned through pain. That’s because God is more interested in making me a man of character than he is in making me comfortable. If I never have any pain or difficulty in life, I would never grow to maturity. I don’t know that God is all I need until God is all I’ve got.
“‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the LORD. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT).
God wants good for my life, even more than I do. Will I trust him?
In summary, God’s thoughts are nothing like mine, and his ways are far beyond anything I could imagine. There have been many times when I’ve prayed for something, and God didn’t answer the way I wanted, or I feel like he didn’t answer at all. This doesn’t mean that prayer won’t work. Also this doesn’t mean that God isn’t good. Whether I’m in pain or not it doesn’t mean that I should give up on prayer. God is not a vending machine, and prayer is not a painkiller. God has not guaranteed me a pain-free life. When I’m in pain and I pray but don’t see the answers, I shouldn’t give up. I need to keep praying and to keep trusting God, because I know that everything he does and allows in my life, he will use for good. When God doesn’t immediately end my pain, he is saying to me, “This pain may feel like too much. But my grace is sufficient for you.” Almost everything I’ve learned in life, I’ve learned through pain. I’m learning that God is more interested in making me a man of character than he is in making me comfortable. If I never have any pain or difficulty in life, I would never grow to maturity. God wants good for my life, even more than I do. Will I trust him?
I would be foolish to act as if I knew what God was thinking and planning. For His knowledge and wisdom are far greater than any human's. I would also be foolish to try to fit God into my mold, to make his plans and purposes conform to mine. Rather, I must strive to fit into his plans. God’s thoughts are nothing like mine, and his ways are far beyond anything I could imagine. His ways and thoughts are on a different and higher plane than mine. It would be foolish of me to act as if I knew what God was thinking and planning. For His knowledge and wisdom is far greater than mine. It would also be foolish for me to try to fit God into my mold, to make his plans and purposes conform to mine. Rather, I must strive to fit into his plans. My role is to keep praying and to keep trusting God for the answer, knowing that everything he does and allows, he will use for good. While I’m praying at one level, God is thinking about my life at a much higher level and from a much bigger perspective. He wants good for my life even more than I do.
Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me.
Today, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in others lives (including my job.) I pray all these things through your Son Jesus’ name, Amen.
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