To the one in a season of uncertainty…
Imagine you walk into the center of a roundabout; you know that little patch of grass that basks in the sun while the world continues to move around it.
You are panicked, head on a swivel as you desperately try to discern which road leading away from your current destination is the one meant for you, the one that will lead you to your purpose and help you accomplish all those dreams and plans you have for your life.
But without clear signage guiding your way, you feel a noticeable weight settling in your chest as confusion and discouragement clouds your mind.
Where do I go? What will I do? How am I supposed to move forward? What is God’s exact intent for my life and how in the world am I going to know I am walking in it?
Amidst your turns and swivels your eyes fall upon another who sits mere feet from where you stand, eyes closed and head titled up, the warm sun falling perfectly across her face.
She invites you to sit beside her for a moment, she has been here a while and has some advice to impart.
To offer herself a credible source and to build vulnerability between you, she shares her story of how she ended up sitting here in the middle of one of life’s many roundabouts.
There is a man with a crazy career [which she never foresaw for her husband] she married who has moved her multiple times across the country in the span of a year.
There is a career she spent years working toward and paying for that now sits largely unused and stagnant against her will.
There is a blog she has great plans and hopes for but often brings up feelings of doubt when it doesn’t grow quite like she had expected.
There are more moves and life changes on the horizon that will switch things up and shake up her life expectations and plans all over again.
So, for now, she sits and waits upon guidance from the Lord. Though sometimes put off by the uncertainty, she has gotten quite comfortable living in the unknown and taking life one step at a time as God makes them visible. And she wants to share her brief thoughts upon what God has taught her here with you, for there is a chance they might bring you rest too.
She is me. And today I want to share about a life of uncertainty.
FIRST, WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT MAKING PLANS?
Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
Speaking as a Type A person who adores planners and schedules and plans, this verse can be unsettling – the idea that I can make plans, but it is God’s will that ultimately determines the course of my life makes me ask - what is the point of making plans? Should I just leave everything up in the air always?
I don’t think that is the answer, and I don’t think that Solomon intended us to infer that our lives, dreams, and plans serve no purpose.
Instead, we can see in other places in Scripture where Solomon’s story is shared, that he did make plans that were carried to fruition. He designed the temple for the Lord, he built himself a nice home, and he made these plans with intention, sensibility, and consultation. Life necessitates plans, and there is wisdom in how they are created.
However, Solomon also knew that human plans are fickle things and are not guaranteed to flow exactly as dictated, in the timing with which they were planned, and may even go in the COMPLETE opposite direction. But God’s plans, those will always occur in the exact manner with which they were planned – thinking about Jesus, there were prophecies written throughout the entirety of the Old Testament telling the Jews how they might come to recognize the Messiah. All 300 prophecies were fulfilled in His coming. God’s plan was carried out PERFECTLY.
So, it’s not about NOT making plans, but your ability as a Christian to hold those plans with open hands willing to surrender those plans to God whose plans are ultimately better.
HOW CAN WE CONFIDENTLY PUT OUR TRUST IN THE LORD’S WILL OVER OUR OWN?
We will look at three verses that let us know we can feel safe and secure letting God’s will be done in our lives.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” [ESV]
First, we must recognize who this verse is speaking specifically too – because it is NOT
all people. Instead, we see that this is “for those who love God,” and “For those who are
called according to His purpose.” This means the message captured in this verse is
applied to believers only. Those who have a genuine faith and trust in the Lord.
Second, looking at the verses surrounding Romans 8:28, this is NOT a guarantee that
our lives as Christians will be free from hardships, confusion, and suffering. In fact, this is
a guarantee of life, and Scripture does not hide this. However, the Christian can find
rest in the fact that even trials and sufferings do have purpose in their lives for
sanctification, instruction, growth, and discipline – all of which help us grow more
in likeness with Christ and provide evidence of a sure faith which allows us to approach
the throne of God with confidence. So, even trials are for our good [we will talk more
about trials and their purposes another time].
So, what does this verse tell us? That for those who believe in God and hold a
genuine faith, all things in life – whether good or bad – are allowed by God and
are used by God [who is sovereign and in control of ALL things] for the good of His
creation and people, our own good [in proving and developing our faith – remember
we should have a KINGDOM focus], and for God’s own glory as we watch His faithful
hand at work in our lives.
Remember, God is not necessarily worried about your happiness, but your holiness.
That is why the good here is not good in an earthly sense, concerning fame,
wealth, and success, but in the eternal sense of a secure and lasting faith and eternity
with Christ.
The comfort – and our ability to trust in the will of the Lord – is that nothing in
our life here on earth is wasted. Additionally, even when things seem chaotic
and unknown God is still in charge, and He knows what is best even when we
do not [this also means not only learning to rest in the plan, but in His timing
for your life]
2. Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is –
His good, pleasing, and perfect will.” [NIV]
First, speaking again to Christians, we witness that as someone saved by God we
are no longer enslaved to sin and the patterns of this world – chasing lusts, living
in deceit, and feeding our carnal appetites – for we have been given a new Spirit [the
Holy Spirit], and a mind aware of God’s ways which are both acting in our lives to
transform us into one more like God. This transformation in which we let go of our
past and embrace a life lived in submission to God is then how we are able to
discern and follow the will of God.
For, how are you able to live according to the will of your parents – who love you and
want what is best for you – if you do not speak or have a relationship with them? You
cannot. Thus, if you are not regularly speaking to God in prayer or listening to His word,
if you are not seeking Him and His ways… then you will not find them. But He is easily
found by the One who seeks Him.
I love how the Enduring Word website phrases it: “The problem with many Christians is
they live life based on feelings, or they are only concerned about doing. The life based
on feelings says, “How do I feel today? How do I feel about my job… my wife… etc.” …
“The life based on doing says, don’t give me your theology. Just tell me what to do. Give
me the four points for this and seven keys for that.” … “God is never against the
principles of feeling and doing. He is a God of powerful and passionate feeling, and He
commands us to be doers. Yet feelings and doing are completely insufficient
foundations for the Christian life. The first questions cannot be ‘How do I feel?’ or
‘What do I do?’ Rather they must be ‘What is true here? What does God’s Word
say?’”
And when we do this, when we are faithful and do our best to live for God and
according to His will, I do not think God removes His hand from our lives and says nope I
am going to let you screw it all up and do it your way. I think He blesses the One whose
heart is turned toward Him and whose hands are open to receiving His will. And even if
we make mistakes, like we read in the first verse in Proverbs, God’s will prevails – He is
sovereign and even though we might assume we are, we are not powerful enough to
alter it. Ultimately God’s will is done.
And how is that will described here? The will God has for our lives if we allow the Spirit
to enter and transform our mind, and thus our life [right thinking leads to right action]. It
is a GOOD, PLEASING, PERFECT will.
Good: To be desired or approved of [Oxford Languages]
Pleasing: Satisfying or appealing [Oxford Languages]
Perfect: Having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics;
as good as it is possible; absolute; complete [Oxford Languages]
Ummmm, yes please. Though the Christian life is hard and as sinners we will still make
mistakes, living according to God’s plan for our lives is clearly the best way – you
cannot get more perfect than a perfect will, and a perfect will cannot be
formed by imperfect man.
So, the comfort here is that we know how we might come to know the will of God – by
listening to the Spirit, speaking to God in prayer, and reading His word. But also, we
know that this will we are submitting to is good, pleasing, and perfect.
3. 1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask
anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever
we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.”
John here emphasizes that the believer can know that God hears their prayers.
HOWEVER, I feel so often this can be taken out of context and we might read, “As a
believer, since God hears my prayers, I can know that I have what was asked for.”
Which, God will always answer your prayers, yes, but not always does He answer with a
yes and thinking He does so reduce Him to a Christian genie – not cool.
What the verse IS SAYING, is that if we end our prayers with – “your will be done”
– after approaching the throne confidently as children and asking Him for
what we need… we can know that our prayer will be answered according to
His will, not ours.
And this we have established is already for our best though not always comfortable.
The best example I can think of for this Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane that
the cup would pass from Him and He would not have to go to the cross to die. What did
He end the prayer with – “nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” What happened? Jesus went to the cross. In this act He defeated sin and freed ALL of mankind from
God’s wrath and an eternity in hell – it was for the good of God’s people. In His
resurrection God’s power was evident in His ability to bring His Son back from death –
God was glorified. In being faithful to the will of God, enduring a gruesome death, Jesus
was exalted to a position of power with all rulers and authorities above the earth, on
earth, and below the earth set under His feet – Jesus reaped immense reward and
blessing.
The comfort here is that we know that we can approach the throne with confidence, for
we are God’s children, but that God, like a parent, will answer according to His will and
will give us what is asked within His will – His no’s saving us from pain and a life lived
outside the will of God [and if God’s will is good, pleasing, and perfect we can assume a
life outside of this is bad, disagreeable, and imperfect.
Or as Timothy Keller put it – “God will either give us what we ask for in prayer, or
give us what we would have asked for if we knew everything He knows.”
Ultimately, we can trust God’s will because God is God.
God is all-knowing and knows what walking down the path you want but is not in His will would do to you.
God is all-powerful and though we fear walking outside His will if we are His children and ask that His will be done… we can trust His will be done.
God is faithful and never leaves us or forsakes us, He loves us with an abundant love. And when you love someone, you do not want to do anything to harm them – even if sometimes it brings temporary pain and disappointment.
God keeps His promises and is trustworthy, what He says will happen.
God is with you in every moment helping you through and bringing beauty from ashes.
His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts – we can trust the plans of our life to Him.
SO, IN SUMMARY, WE CAN REST IN THE UNCERTAINTY BECAUSE OUR NEXT STEPS ARE KNOWN BY GOD, THEY ARE NOT UNCERTAIN TO HIM, AND IN THE RIGHT TIME HE WILL LEAD US BY FAITH DOWN THE RIGHT ROAD.
So, for now, we can rest in the grass, let the sun fall upon our face, and have peace that in God’s timing things will work out for our good and according to His will.
What makes me so sure as I sit now in a season of uncertainty?
Though I married a man in the military which I swore would never happen [God has a sense of humor people, I’m telling you] – My husband turned out to be a godly man who respects me, supports all my dreams, leads me well, is dependable, and dearest friend. Thank God His will prevailed.
No, I am not in Ohio like I thought, but through each move I have seen God walk before me [though not always as quickly as I would like] to direct us to a lovely home, good faithful friends, and a wonderful church. Additionally, this journey has taught me to sit back a bit and allow God to work according to His will, trusting in Him and His timing [though sometimes those close calls make me nervous]. But I am growing and happy. Thank God His will prevailed.
Sure, my career in medicine has been somewhat delayed because of our many moves and weird life course. But even here God has given me so many wonderful plans for the blog, allowed me to author a book, and develop a love for the slow and balanced life. Plus, I get to spend HOURS every morning witting with my Bible drinking coffee, and it quickly has become my favorite most sacred part of my day. Thank God His will prevailed.
So now, sitting in this roundabout waiting for God to point out which road is the next for me to travel, I am peaceful [despite my moments of fleshly panic], because I know that even if life does not look how people suppose it should, or I suppose it should, my life is above and beyond anything and everything I ever imagined for myself. And I know if God’s will prevails I will be the better for it.