Hebrews 13:20-21 ‘Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. ‘
Have you ever tried to bring about something in your life and it just wouldn’t come together the way you felt like it should, or didn’t come together at all? Something you wanted so very bad, felt it was right and should be, but it just would not come to fruition? Of course you have. We all have, haven’t we? I’ve been contemplating this a great deal lately, and I keep coming back to the same question. Why? Really… but why? If it is a good thing, I want it badly enough, have fully invested, time, energy and resources into it, prayed for it, made the “right” moves, why is it not working out?
As I wrestle with the why of it, more questions come to my mind. Why do I want it? Is it merely a want, a desire I have for myself, my life or for another? What does it accomplish if achieved? How can it not be meant to be, if it’s good and it’s what I want to happen, if “my heart is in the right place”?
Then it comes, the important question. Is it “right” because I want it to be, or is it “right” because He says it is? I can look at so many instances in my life that what I pursued, what I wanted, no matter how hard I tried, how much I invested, just would not come together the way I felt they should. Why? The answer to my why is simple. It was what I wanted, not what God wanted for me. That can be a hard pill to swallow, but it has become so abundantly clear to me in some of the most important points in my life. As I look at them, I realize those times of struggle and disappointments were times when I wasn’t seeking God’s will, God’s purpose and God’s design on my life. I was seeking mine. I was creating mine.
I’ve hit some very difficult points here recently, struggled, asked why, struggled more and still ended up pointing a different direction. What I am realizing now is that God wasn’t preventing this to disappoint, discourage or hold me back, He was doing it to save me from myself. He has a grander plan in mind. He’s keeping on track, His track, not derailing mine.
Things look very different for me today than they did a few years ago. Until recently, I didn’t like that prospect in the least. I fought it, tried to go in the direction I wanted, pursuing the things I knew were “right” for my life. God has simply said, “you’re wrong, son. I have a different plan for you, a grander plan. Trust me”. You know what? I do. Or… at least I’m learning to. He ‘knows the plans He has for me’ and He ‘knows the plans He has for you’. They’re grand plans. Seek Him. Trust Him. He’ll show you. Have a blessed weekend.
Proverbs 3:5,6 ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. ‘
In full pursuit of the greatest Trophy,
Scott Pace
