Reason #272
Sometimes, I'm wrong. I'll admit it. Sometimes I underestimate. Sometimes I project incorrectly. And, like most people, I hate when I'm wrong, however, over the past year I've come to realize that I've been wrong about a lot of things. And to be completely honest, I'm glad I was wrong. I'm glad my projections were incorrect.
I'm really bad about trying to determine how God will act and when He will act. I try my best to figure out His methods only to realize that I was hardly close to getting it right. God does work in mysterious ways, but God always works for our benefit. So I began praying this prayer. I felt kind of funny praying it, but my mom reminded me that God already knew my heart so I might as well just tell Him what's on it. I took her advice and I told Him. I knew He would hear, but I half-expected Him to actually answer it. I don't know about you, but plenty are the times I've prayed desperately for one thing only to end up with something completely different. Maybe I'm the only one who ever feels this way, but I realize that I kept ending up with something totally different than what I was praying for because I was praying purely selfish prayers. I was hoping that somehow, someway, my requests would evolve into His will for me. Maybe, I could convince Him to do what I wanted if I said fancy words or sugar-coated it to sound less selfish. Thankfully, God sees through our little tactics, and I had come to realize this. So, I began to pray for this thing that was laid on my heart. It seemed like I shouldn't be praying for this at the time, but I couldn't help it. And so I just laid it down at His feet and really prayed that His will would be done. I can testify that God's will always prevails, but we have two options. We can either make it really difficult on ourselves and try to force our own will, or we can submit, trust Him, and allow His will to be done.
Here's where I've gotten wrong so many times in life. Because submission was a hard lesson for me. It was easier to force things. It seemed easier to try and make them happen the way I thought they should, and I was wrong every time. So this really simple, really heartfelt prayer, the one I half-expected an answer to was answered. Answered because I quit pushing, I quit trying to tell Him what to do, and I just trusted that His will would be done. I trusted that whatever that will was, it was going to be leaps and bounds better than the one I had worked up for myself. And so I was totally wrong. I was wrong in believing that He wouldn't answer in the way He did. I was wrong in expecting the opposite of what I was praying. And I was completely wrong in all of my projections. A friend of mine recently told me, "If God is telling you to do something, you need to do it." And so I did. I did what I felt He was telling me to do. A little reluctant at first because it just seemed to good to be true, but isn't that how God works? Doesn't He always give us so much more than we deserve?
So I'm thankful for those times I am wrong. For the times that my projections are incorrect and my estimation is completely off. Because God, well, everything He does is right. So if He asks you do to something and you do it, you can rest assured that you're doing the right thing. And when the right thing comes along, you'll be overwhelmingly thankful that He proved you wrong for your own good.
#272 - Because His ways are always right, even when we're wrong!
"Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen." - Romans 11:33-36
I'm really bad about trying to determine how God will act and when He will act. I try my best to figure out His methods only to realize that I was hardly close to getting it right. God does work in mysterious ways, but God always works for our benefit. So I began praying this prayer. I felt kind of funny praying it, but my mom reminded me that God already knew my heart so I might as well just tell Him what's on it. I took her advice and I told Him. I knew He would hear, but I half-expected Him to actually answer it. I don't know about you, but plenty are the times I've prayed desperately for one thing only to end up with something completely different. Maybe I'm the only one who ever feels this way, but I realize that I kept ending up with something totally different than what I was praying for because I was praying purely selfish prayers. I was hoping that somehow, someway, my requests would evolve into His will for me. Maybe, I could convince Him to do what I wanted if I said fancy words or sugar-coated it to sound less selfish. Thankfully, God sees through our little tactics, and I had come to realize this. So, I began to pray for this thing that was laid on my heart. It seemed like I shouldn't be praying for this at the time, but I couldn't help it. And so I just laid it down at His feet and really prayed that His will would be done. I can testify that God's will always prevails, but we have two options. We can either make it really difficult on ourselves and try to force our own will, or we can submit, trust Him, and allow His will to be done.
Here's where I've gotten wrong so many times in life. Because submission was a hard lesson for me. It was easier to force things. It seemed easier to try and make them happen the way I thought they should, and I was wrong every time. So this really simple, really heartfelt prayer, the one I half-expected an answer to was answered. Answered because I quit pushing, I quit trying to tell Him what to do, and I just trusted that His will would be done. I trusted that whatever that will was, it was going to be leaps and bounds better than the one I had worked up for myself. And so I was totally wrong. I was wrong in believing that He wouldn't answer in the way He did. I was wrong in expecting the opposite of what I was praying. And I was completely wrong in all of my projections. A friend of mine recently told me, "If God is telling you to do something, you need to do it." And so I did. I did what I felt He was telling me to do. A little reluctant at first because it just seemed to good to be true, but isn't that how God works? Doesn't He always give us so much more than we deserve?
So I'm thankful for those times I am wrong. For the times that my projections are incorrect and my estimation is completely off. Because God, well, everything He does is right. So if He asks you do to something and you do it, you can rest assured that you're doing the right thing. And when the right thing comes along, you'll be overwhelmingly thankful that He proved you wrong for your own good.
#272 - Because His ways are always right, even when we're wrong!
"Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen." - Romans 11:33-36