I’ve been considering life lately and it has occurred to me that with each passing year I have gained more acceptance of one particular truth; much of life is beyond our control, and what appears to be in our control really isn’t. The truth of the matter is that it seems that for the things that matter the most to us, they are the things we seem to have the least influence over.
For example, a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal illness. What can you do? A child of yours becomes addicted to drugs? What can you do? A friend is determined to destroy their family through adulterous behavior. What can you do? You experience an injury that prevents you from working? What can you do? Now perhaps your answer to all of these questions is the following; I can take them to get treatment and be by their bedside; I can follow my child around and prevent some instances where they would use drugs; I can counsel my wayward friend; I can go to rehab and get myself better. My answer to you is that while all these things are good to do in God’s sight, you can’t cure your loved one, drag your child out of addiction, change your friends’ sexual behaviors or heal your injury. Despite all the effort you would expend in each of these areas, the circumstances may not change.
What is amazing to me is that in each of these circumstances the only One who can really do anything is God, and yet we are so prone to exhaust ourselves through our own efforts before we ever turn to Him. Or, we will turn to Him, but only as just another thing to try in the midst of our well thought out plans as to how we are going to make everything right in our world. This is why we often hear people say, “I guess the only thing left for me to do now is pray”, or “I guess all I can do for you is pray”. The translation? “Well, since I can’t do anything that could really impact these circumstances, I will throw a prayer at it.”
Of course, if God does open our eyes, then we can see that He could cure our loved one, drag our child out of their addiction, change the hearts (and behaviors) of our friends and heal our injuries. God knows it is our nature to try everything else and then fall flat on our faces before his throne (and this is not out of reverence but exhaustion….).
So, this note is to encourage you (and me…) to entrust our lives and the lives and circumstances of others to our loving heavenly Father. When we do we may not understand what He is doing. We may not even be sure that He is doing something. We may find that the circumstances are getting worse. We
may end up with a deceased loved one, a child in jail, a friend with a destroyed family and being unemployed and financially ruined. Or, things may go really well. Either way, it is foolish to entrust our lives to anyone or anything other than our majestic, powerful, loving Father. Do you have the courage and faith in these circumstances to say to those whose lives you so want to change, “I have committed you to His loving grace.”?
It is my prayer that all of us will remember and live out the following verses;
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your
gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about
anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4: 4-7
Hmm…rejoicing always….living gently before God……no anxiety….fellowship with God, a thankful spirit, peace in our hearts, and God guarding our hearts and minds. Not too shabby. And perhaps God will
graciously do what He can do and change whatever it is that so causes our hearts to ache. Maybe. . . But, if He doesn’t, may He still be glorified and forever praised. Amen.
Rob
September 19, 2015