Daily Devotional for Monday April 10, 2000

Getting Ahead Of God

(Acts 19:36) How many times do you get into situations in your life, get into difficult circumstances, and ask yourself why you didn't wait? How many times do we get ourselves into trouble by acting in haste? I have a special word for you today....wait. Especially when you are in the midst of making major, life-changing decisions like where you will live, your job, an important relationship...wait. I have come to learn over the years, that we can often get ahead of God. For most people, we have a very strong self-will. Our love of God, our desire to serve and please Him is not the question. We simply get ahead of God because we are so strong-willed. We get something in our head and charge ahead without really considering all of the ramifications of our actions. I am not saying that we should quit making decisions or quit trying to follow the path God may be leading us down. What I am saying is that we need to exercise some patience. There is nothing wrong with making a decision, then taking a day or so to pray about it, maybe get some counsel from people we trust, and take one more look at all sides of the decision before we act. Again, it often comes back to that issue of our will versus God's will. We want something very badly, and rather than fully explore if it is also something God wants, we act. To be honest, we don't really want to know God's feelings, since we want it so badly we are afraid maybe it ISN'T what God wants. So to avoid having to directly rebel, we jump into it to insure we get what we want. OK, OK, I can already hear the moans and groans as the Holy Spirit is pinching many of you right now. That is called conviction. My prayer for you today is two-fold. First, that those who are already in too deep because of getting ahead of God will confess to the Lord you acted without really considering His view, and seek God's help in a plan to get out of the mess you find yourself in. We serve a loving God who not only loves you, but cares about you, and if you call out to Him, He will help you. I think of the father of the Prodigal son. How easy it would have been for that father to simply tell his son you made your decision, now live with the consequences of that decision. That is not what he did though. He welcomed him back and restored him to the family. God will do that for you if you ask him. My second prayer is for you to realize in future decisions how important it is not to make rash, hasty decisions . . . but be patient and make sure this is what God wants and not only what you want. After all, whose life is it . . . yours or His? I love you, and I care about you deeply. I try to not only encourage you, but warn you to hopefully avoid some of the pitfalls there are out there, to try and help you avoid having to go through some of the difficulties that occur by our not following the Lord's plan for our life. God has promised us not only life, but a life of abundance. However, to enjoy that life, we must be willing to give our lives completely and totally to Him. Let our decision be not what we want, but what He wants. Trust me, He loves you and only wants the best for you. So the next time you are in the midst of a decision, simply take a second before acting, and ask yourself, is this what I want? Or is this what God wants for me? Don't lead God, but let God lead you.