How often have you heard the statement; God’s ways are best? How often have you said it to yourself professing that you believe it? Yet, in the moment of difficulty, you elevate yourself to the position that only God should occupy and go your own way?
This has been an age-old problem, we hear the promises of God, sometimes we read it, other times it is read to us – we accept it and then in a moment of living we quickly forget it.
Nothing is Impossible for Him
Abraham and Sarah were visited at a ripe old age by a messenger of God and were told that God would bless them with a son. Though they were old, God reminded them that nothing is impossible for Him. It appears that they believe but as time goes by and no baby comes, Sarah tells Abraham to sleep with Hagar in order to procreate. It happens just as Sarah desires, a male child is born, and he is given the name, Ishmael. Yet, Sarah conceives after, and she quickly wants the evidence of her suggestion to disappear. But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. Genesis 21:9-11
Sarah wanted the woman and her son gone, a decision which she had conceived and unbeknown to her was just how distressed her husband was in that moment. For Sarah, Ishmael was the child of a slave, for Abraham, that was his flesh and blood.
At That Moment
This story reinforces the Scripture in Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. You see, we are limited by the here and the now. At the moment you choose to accept that job with greater economic benefit, you created a new problem, less time with your family and God was just moving things in place for the greatest financial blessing. That moment when you packed your bag and left your marital home even though your partner asked for another chance was at the point where God was working on a great emotional blessing. At the moment when you consult the voices around you instead of the voice within you is the moment when you are heading for accidents and destruction of great magnitude.
Consult God
Sisters, life is hard, I do not want to for a moment trivialize or minimize your problems, they are real, and they require real solutions. But the best thing you can do before you make a move is to consult God. Do not let the newness of God ever wear off. Involve him as you select your clothing, as you fix your hair, as you drive the car, as you choose a route, as you go to the supermarket, as you do it all. Invite him and involve him. God sees the big picture, never lose sight of that.
Michelle Anderson is author of the books “The Holy Spirit Gives Life” and “Giants in the Shadows”. She is also the creator of the podcast, “From the Pages of My Diary”.
