SEEDS #6–Can I Miss God?
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk in it”.
Isaiah 30:21
Chapter 30 of Isaiah begins with the the Lord’s admonition against a rebellious generation. God is warning a group of people not to make plans that are not His and not to form alliances that He doesn’t direct. I have recently been involved in several situations, some my own and some in the lives of some dear friends, that have challenged me to reflect upon how to be absolutely sure when God is directing an action, verses when our own options and perspectives lead the way .
I don’t know about your life, but mine seems to be FULL of those choices every day.
I am constantly faced with decisions, opportunities, business relationships and ministry partnerships that sound good and seem like a good choice or even ones that I feel I have PASSIONATELY PRAYED over and feel CERTAIN God said yes–but appear to crash and burn in the end.
Why? Where do we miss God’s perfect will? How do we KNOW FOR SURE when God is directing our path?
This verse of scripture came up last night at a woman’s conference where the speaker was touching on this very topic, one that has been on my mind in a fresh way (no surprise there–God does that, right?).
The truth is, over the years as I have walked with God, He has often chosen ME to be the leader of some pretty far reaching decisions. This is not a NEW question. This has been a place of constant reflection and continued search for truth and answers in my life.
What I have learned is this–I WILL make mistakes–BUT GOD–is able to redeem my direction and my choices when I am fully after His heart!
I WILL sometimes get things wrong–EVEN WHEN–I do all I can to put my flesh aside and attempt with all of my heart and mind to follow God’s plan. Sometimes, I get it wrong and sometimes, even what I thought was God’s plan does not turn out to LOOK LIKE what I THOUGHT God’s plan would look like. In other words, just because it seems to CRASH TO ME doesn’t mean it wasn’t God’s plan.
God teaches us much in our failures.
He teaches us much in our disappointments.
He teaches us much in our wrong choices.
This Chapter Isaiah 30 verse 15 says this:
In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength..
Psalm 139 tells us in several places that God “Hems us In”. He goes “before and behind” us and “places His hand of blessing” upon us.
If we get it wrong, OUR GOD, OUR ABBA FATHER, is big enough to REROUTE us and get us back on His path AND to use EVERYTHING to grow and bloom us!
How is God showing this truth in your life today? Have you obviously chosen a wrong path lately? Have you chosen a path that you STILL think was right, was His direction, but it looks likes a crash and burn?
Where are you having to get quiet and TRUST that God is leading you? Where have you had to REPENT that you went your own way instead of waiting for HIS way?
Your comments always encourage me and assure me that SEEDS IS a God plan and not a Pat plan 🙂
Please share your thoughts this week.
xoxo
Pat
Pat,
I love these S.E.E.D.S.
This verse is perfect! A verse that got me thinking. Since leaving my position of 7 years at our crisis pregnancy center over a year ago, it wasn’t more then a few weeks after I had left, I said “yes” to an opportunity in another ministry. As quickly as that door opened, it was slammed shut. I know now it was my way to feel important by taking on that job, while it was God’s desire for me to rest and heal during this time. But since January, God has opened doors to the things I love doing…teaching a women’s bible study at our church, writing for a ministry online and coming along side of several women to help them deal with their past abortions. I spent a lot of time in this last year… Be still and knowing He is God!