Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

When Life Doesn’t Go As We Planned

 

ISAIAH 55:6-8 – Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”

 

THEME OF THE DAY:  WHEN LIFE DOESN’T GO AS WE PLANNED. It happens in the life of every Christian.  It will repeat itself often throughout our lives.  The “it” I am alluding to contains two separate applications in our walks with the Lord taken from the familiar scripture in today’s nugget.

 

The first truth will be when the Lord’s words through the prophet Isaiah go from something we quote to encourage another to something we painfully experience when God doesn’t work in our lives in the manner we think He should. Let’s drive home the application. Think about a period of trauma, suffering, and difficult circumstance in our lives presenting a great challenge to our faith and comfort.  Please tell me how easy it is to quote, believe, and cling to this – And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Roman 8:28) when God’s ways and thoughts don’t match ours!  This is one of the most intense trials of our faith; knowing God does no wrong, is faithful, doing a good work in us and we are suffering through it!  The pain is real and the confusion as to “why” this is happening becomes an obsession in our minds as intrusive as flies on a summer picnic.

 

The second truth is the one command contained in today’s scripture and it defines the whole of the Christian life – Seek the Lord while He may be found.  What makes this doubly important is tied to the last paragraph.  As we find it difficult to hold to Romans 8:28, who has not found times of seeking the Lord extremely hard when “God’s ways are not our ways?”

 

In the process of God conforming us to the image of the Lord Jesus, His discipline in purging the ugliness of ourselves to be replaced with the beauty of Christ is extremely painful.  The author of the letter to the Hebrews instructs us – And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:5-6; 11).  A strong temptation when God’s ways are not our ways is to complain, followed by a “woe is me” attitude and stop seeking the Lord. Pain attacks spiritual disciplines and if not battled against, leads to neglect of prayer, the Bible, and church; the means of seeking the Lord.  Be on guard when things don’t go as we planned. Remember His ways are not our ways, and in those difficult seasons, seek the Lord more, not less, and He has promised we will find Him. And though we may not understand His ways, the closer we are to Him will cause us to trust His ways.

 

PRAYER: “Father, help me to trust You first and not lean on my own understanding first .”

 

QUOTE: “The way God works in our lives is rarely how we think He should work in our lives.”

 

In the affection of Christ Jesus,

 

Pastor Jim