When Things Don’t Go Your Way
“You keep telling God how to run things, and when He doesn’t do it your way you will be angry with God†~ from the book “Among The Gods†by Lynn Austin
Do you know making God into your idea of Him is considered serving an idol? Wow that is a harsh statement (starting out with a bang); one that sent a shiver up my spine. Do I try to put God into my little box, a box I can understand? I know I am guilty of this at times. It is difficult to have God be something that is so beyond my comprehension, but if I try to comprehend Him, then I limit Him. Does that blow your mind like it does mine?
Ecclesiastes 8:17 says “…then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it.â€
How many times are we in a situation and we know what would be the best outcome. We thank God for the path he is leading us on. And then suddenly something does not go as planned. What God? I thought this was your will? I prayed and had peace. What is going on here? Am I the only one that has been in this situation?
My husband was laid off many years ago; we saw this new job as a big blessing. It allowed us to pay off some of our debt. Before he accepted this job we prayed and prayed over it, we would have turned it down if it was not God’s will. One year almost to the day they let him go. Our lives went spinning out of control and our heads also. We were so sure this was God’s will, but things are not going like they should be. I began to lose faith in my ability to know what God’s will is.
Well now that we look back, that job WAS God’s will, but not in the way we thought. That job’s purpose was just so God could move him into another job (which we would not have taken at the time). The Lord had to bring us to a point of “we will take anything, even less pay.†And that is what happened. The second job was much better all around, God blessed us immensely. You see I limited God in His planning. I tried to comprehend Him, instead of having faith that He knew what He was doing. I put God into my little box of comprehension.
Heavenly Father, blow my mind. May I never try to keep you in my little box of comprehension. I stand in excited anticipation, like a little girl opening a present. Help me to dream big, but also know that you have everything worked out according to YOUR plan. Thank you for the blessing of being part of Laced With Grace.
I’ll be heading off to church soon here in CT. Going to go worship a God so big and mighty, He could never fit in any box I try to stuff Him in. He is so above us, His thoughts and plans beyond us. Thank God we can always be sure His plans our good for us, even when we don’t understand. Have a blessed Sunday LWG ladies:)
What a great beginning Laurel…Welcome to Laced with Grace!! We have to go through that period of “famine” as God prepares us for the great things He has planned and we will be accepting of it…whereas before the “famine” we just would not have chosen God’s way. What a great example..how much easier it is to look back and say “Aha” then to realize we are in the middle of what is God’s will at what appears to be a difficult time. You are such an awesome writer!!!
Laurel that is so familiar that I could have written it myself, except that our’s involved a move 12 hours away, then a move back 18 months later. At the time we thought that that must not have been His will, yet we grew in that time–it was our desert time. Its a good thing we have a od who can deal with our prayers and answer them the way they need answered instead of giving in to our every whim.
How many times have I put Him in my little box…I have given up to understand His reasoning. I always say: “Father knows best” — and He does.
Thank you Laurel for your thoughts this morning — and welcome to LWG.
Beautifully written. I am guilty of putting God in a box. I have my narrow views of things and sometimes forget that God is the bigger plan. I forget “…Thy will be done”. It is Gods will and I need to turn my will over to God. Thanks for the reminder and I am going to try to hold this in my heart and in my head and remember that even if things don’t go as I would like them, God is still guiding me and I need to let God out of my box.
You have to know that this post is exactly, I mean exactly, what I needed to read today, Laurel Wreath. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for this. xoxoxo
This is such a powerful message! Thank you!
I have felt the same way so many times. I have recently been in circumstances that demand I either put my trust in Him or just end up in a hopeless pit of despair. He didn’t work things out the way I wanted, and I was so disappointed. I have had to come to the place of trust and to realize that if I could fit Him into my limited understanding He wouldn’t be God at all. He is God; He is good – all the time. Whether I understand it right now or not.
A wonderful post Laurel.
Congrats on your first post here. I have learned that the path God puts before me has many turns and bridges. Sometimes He is trying to get me somewhere else- a lot like a connecting flight. :>)
Hi Laurel,
This prayer is wonderful. I am praying just like this…. Thank you.