When God Doesn't Do it My Way

I am about to leave for Tennessee to speak to a group of women at the Pickwick Inn.  I am in Indianapolis covered in snow.  Kentucky and Tennessee have gotten a lot of snow and ice.  How in the world am I going to get to the Pickwick Inn?  Will they decide to cancel/reschedule because the ladies won’t be able to get there?  Decisions, decisions….this has been planned for a very long time and it is a tenth anniversary event for them.  A big deal.  A celebration of the King!!

For over a year, when the planning for this retreat first began, much prayer has been lifted up to the Lord concerning the weather.  "Please, Lord, don’t let it snow!!"  And, yet….here we are....and there is not only a lot of snow…but lots of ice. 

This is one simple example….there are millions of them.  You know, the thing you have asked God for to happen—or not to happen…and it happens—or doesn’t happen.  Bottom line….God didn’t do it our way.  On our time-table.

This is the place where we are tempted to question God’s faithfulness.  We are tempted to think God doesn’t care or He is mad at me or I am in trouble or prayer really doesn’t work, or any other such sinful thought.

OR….when things don’t go our way…

We can claim statements of faith like Paul did in Acts 27

"I serve God
I belong to God!
He stands before me!
Do not be afraid!
Take courage!
I believe God!"

I am memorizing these statements of faith….I repeat them over and over each time something happens that I don’t like or that I fear or that is hard.  This has been a particularly difficult, sad, hard week where I have cried them out to the Lord again and again.

Be encouraged my friend!!  State these over and over again and remember that circumstances are not the place we look to see who God is or how faithful He is.  Circumstances lie and get our minds and eyes off of Him and distort the Truth.