So, have you considered if you’re like Sarai? Do you tend to take matters into your hands and not wait on God?
The thing is…God loves you enough to let you choose. If you want to choose to manipulate and insert your “own way”, God will let you.
If you want to step out, like Sarai, and mess things up royally, He will still be there to pick up the pieces, comfort you and still love you.
But if you want the best…the abundant life…and His plan for your life, then waiting on the One True God is your only option. “Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey” comes to mind.
The Lord gave me this analogy this afternoon. My husband, a former air traffic controller supervisor, is retired from the FAA. He’s worked airplanes on a screen – and kept them from crashing into one another – for over 32+ years. And has now been an instructor for almost 7 years. He works at an En Route facility (not at an airport; it’s a super complicated and technical job. Unlike controllers at a tower, Norman and his co-workers never SEE actual airplanes…just blips on a screen with identifiers. Currently, he works for a government contractor. His current job? He is an instructor over ALL the instructors who train young people wanting to be new controllers. The cut off for becoming an air traffic controller is 31 years old. All that to say, the young people coming in and learning this highly specialized job are around 25-31 years old.
On most practice problems, there are two instructors sitting with 1 new student. The main instructor is the one correcting, pointing things out and helping the student learn. Not too long ago, Norman relayed this story to me.
On this particular problem, the young man, I’ll call him Jimmy (obviously, that wasn’t his name), had been on the job for less than 2 months. Norman was his main trainer. He asked Jimmy to turn an airplane and gave him a specific heading. Further, he asked Jimmy to contact the facility to assign that particular heading. Instead of following Norman’s clear and well-thought-out instructions, Jimmy argued back with Norman, questioning the heading. The heading was not just a random calculation on Norman’s part, but the EXACT and PRECISE vector that was needed to separate the airplane from the others in the vicinity. But at that moment, Jimmy thought he knew best. Before Norman could even correct the young man, the other instructor (who is supposed to be quiet and just be the “helper” instructor) spoke up and told Jimmy he should NEVER question Norman or any other instructor. I’m simplifying this controller training problem greatly. But hopefully, you get the point.
Jimmy, with a whopping 2 months of experience and limited skills, is still a total novice. Norman, on the other hand, who is not perfect by his own admission, has almost 40 years of experience. I was flabbergasted when Norman relayed this story. What was Jimmy thinking? Just a side note. Norman gave Jimmy the EXACT measurement needed for that particular airplane. He didn’t have to rub it in to Jimmy or say, “I told you so”. As Norman said, Jimmy saw firsthand how he was incorrect. And the other instructor in a firm way pointed it out to Jimmy as well (before Norman could even correct him!). I think that instructor was more taken aback than me…and possibly Norman.
The fact that Jimmy even questioned Norman in his role seems so utterly ridiculous to me. In fact, Norman has only had one other trainee, a female, who came in with this same attitude. My point?
Isn’t this exactly what we do with God? We think we know what’s best even though God is perfect, holy and sees the Big Picture.
We’re novices, like Jimmy, when it comes to the highways and byways of life, just like Jimmy was with the highways in the sky. But yet we still think we know better.
Really it boils down to this. Do you TRUST God enough to surrender and leave it all in His Hands?
At almost 60 years old, I’m still learning to do just that, especially with the people I love the most on this planet.
He is a patient, understanding and phenomenal Creator and Designer. May we pray for our faith and trust in Him to increase. And our reliance on ourselves to decrease.
I will correct something I typed earlier. I don’t consider myself or others who try to take matters into their own hands “manipulative”. That word implies that you have selfish or underhanded motives.
But, what term do we use for it when God answers our prayers time and time again, is constantly faithful, and yet we still think we need to insert and have our own agenda.
Are we forgetful? Short-sighted? Impatient? Foolish? All of the above?
Either we trust God or we don’t. There’s no grey area.
Let’s consider Sarai again. Did she trust God? No!
If she had, then her plan for Hagar and Abram to have sex would never have happened. She would’ve known God would provide a son – somehow, some way.
Right now, God is telling me something that is difficult to believe. The reality of the situation is screaming one thing, and what God is telling me (and has told me for several months) seems a little hard to believe. But I wrote it down in my prayer journal. Why? Because I’ve learned to believe and trust His character. When the Word tells me in Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for you”, I want to remember it and channel that verse into my own situation.
Today, as I was praying and crying out to God about this crucial matter, God reminded me of the miracles He had accomplished in this loved one’s life.…miracles that I have prayed for and been allowed to witness. Truly, these are things that only God could accomplish.
His faithfulness and God’s character is what I cling to when the circumstances seem less than hopeful.
Just the other day, when I was tempted once again, to step out on my own and concoct my own plan, I prayed aloud and told Him again…YOU and YOU alone are truly a Waymaker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the Darkness.
So, my friend, spend time on your knees beseeching the Father of the Universe vs coming up with your own futile, measly plan that will create more of a mess. You know I’m right!!
If you need further evidence that your clever plan with either fail or create more chaos, go back to the scriptures and reread Genesis 16 and following. It’s a stark reminder of the messes we can create when we take matters into our own hands.
I close with a song that sums up what I’ve struggled to express. It’s from the movie, “Joseph King of Dreams”. I’ve never seen the movie, but I love the clip from it and especially the tune. The lyrics are so powerful!! My husband, who LOVES all kinds of music fell in love with this song and got me hooked on it as well. We both sing it quite a bit and play it on Alexa quite frequently.
Joseph has always been one of my favorite Biblical characters. This song just gave me another reason to admire Joseph and learn from his life. I have no idea if the movie is even an accurate account of Joseph’s life or if it’s spot on spiritually. I just know God has used this song and the lyrics to speak to me about this issue.
Below is the video of it, but I also typed and printed the lyrics. Listen, and I think you’ll be hooked.
Most of all, I pray it helps you to pause and pray before you act and get “manipulative” or whatever you want to call it.
For me, it helps me to sing the song…and to remind me that HE truly knows better than anyone!! I hope it becomes one of your faves…and especially that it helps you remember to leave things in the Master’s capable, strong and perfect hands.
You Know Better than I by David Cambpell
… I thought I did what’s right
I thought I had the answers
I thought I chose the surest road
But that road brought me here
… So I put up a fight
And told you how to help me
Now just when I have given up
The truth is coming clear
… You know better than I
You know the way
I’ve let go the need to know why
For you know better than I
… If this has been a test
I cannot see the reason
But maybe knowing I don’t know
Is part of getting through
… I try to do what’s best
And faith has made it easy
To see the best thing I can do
Is put my trust in you
… For you know better than I
You know the way
I’ve let go the need to know why
For you know better than I
… I saw one cloud and thought it was a sky
I saw a bird and thought that I could follow
But it was you who taught that bird to fly
If I let you reach me will you teach me?
… For you know better than I
You know the way
I’ve let go the need to know why
I’ll take what answers you supply
You know better than I
https://youtu.be/uzxpVGnWEWA — watch clip as you listen to the lyrics…so worth it!
Laura's Lines 