Matthew 7:11 - So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him?
We've all received gifts for birthdays and Christmas that we really didn't want, right? We are grateful for the thought people put into them, but sometimes we want to say, "Uh that's really not what I wanted (or asked for)." While we all would hope that wouldn't be our thought process, it's okay to admit that we are still human and it does/will happen sometimes.
How about when God orchestrates something we really weren't expecting (or wanting)?
At my last job, things were going downhill fast. It was quickly becoming an unbearable and extremely stressful place to work. Over the last couple of months I was there, I was starting to look for something new. I knew that God had better plans for me, and that I wasn't meant to be there forever. I prayed about it and asked for God's guidance and direction, but didn't really get many answers other than to keep looking.
Then I got the news that they were restructuring/reorganizing and that my position was being eliminated, and it was my last day. While I was trusting God's plans for me, that really wasn't how I was expecting Him to work things out.
On the drive home that day, I was praying and I said to God, "You know, I probably would have handled that whole thing differently. I wouldn't have done it that way." In other words, if it had been left up to me, I would have left on my terms after I found something new.
Now before you start thinking that I was questioning God or demanding that He did things my way, that wasn't what I was doing. I was simply saying what was on my heart. Isn't that what we're supposed to do? God knows our hearts, so if we aren't confessing what's on our heart it's kind of pointless. It's like making a Doctor's appointment and then telling the Doctor that nothing is wrong. I have no problem accepting His will for my life, because I believe the Bible and passages like this one above from Matthew. Jesus is telling us that God will give us greater than we could expect.
In the book of Isaiah, God tells us that His thoughts are nothing like our thoughts and His ways are far beyond anything we could imagine (Isaiah 55:8). That was exactly the message I received on that drive home that day. God wasn't necessarily rebuking me for what was on my heart. He was reminding me that He does have great and mighty things for me, and He will reveal them to me when He is ready. More importantly, He will reveal them to me when He makes me ready for them.
After spending the last 4 months (and counting) off work, I have seen and felt God working in me to draw me closer to Him. These last few months have been a great sabbatical for me to become closer to the One who always has my best interests in His heart. My stress levels are non-existent now, except maybe when I drive (come on it's California freeways - baby steps).
I believe that He wanted me to get some healing and repairing and some more intimate time with me before He sends me back out in the world in whatever may come my way. And you know what, I'm perfectly fine with that. It may not have been how I would have handled it, but that's a good thing. It may not have been what I was asking for, but thank God it was exactly what I have needed.
Dear Abba Father, thank You for so much. It is impossible to put into words just how grateful I am that Your thoughts and ways are so much higher than mine. I know I sometimes feel like I know what's best for me, but thankfully You DO know what's best for me and there's no need to question that. I pray that I will never question Your working in my life even when I don't understand it. I know You will show me what I need to know when I need to know it. I pray that I will always trust in Jesus' promise that You will always give much better to those who ask. While I may ask or want certain things to happen, I want Your will to be done Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!
God Bless!!!
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