by: Dolly Macam
“If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”
Are you still wondering what God’s plan for you is? Do you feel that your life right now could do with some bit of help? Do you sometimes wish you had more of the things you want? Do you think you do not have—right now—the things that will make you truly happy?
I believe God wants us to be joyful. How this can be achieved, that’s between you and God. I understand problems, I really do. And I understand wanting to have a “better” life. But I have learned that if I were to list down the things that will make my life “better” and find them full of the things of this world, then I know that whatever relief or happiness or pleasure I gain from them is only temporary. I also learned that God does not give me everything I want because most of the things I want are not good for me anyway. What really matters is not what I want but what God wants for my life. I even find myself actually GRATEFUL that God does not give me everything I want! As for true happiness, without God truly present, alive and in control of our lives—right now—there is absolutely no chance of that.
Our life on this earth is like the Amazing Race. God gives one instruction, we obey and we get from point A to point B. Then He reveals the next instruction that will bring us from point B to point C and so on until we reach the finish line. He never tells us everything all at once. Some things are kept hidden from us, to ensure our obedience as well as our total dependence upon Him. We find that if we take short-cuts, we lose. If we take the easy way out, we fail. If we cheat, we get caught and suffer the consequences. God’s rules are simple. But our human hearts sometimes act out of our impatience and our conceited belief that we know everything and we begin to take control of our lives and plan it as though we own it.
This year I finally embraced the reality that my life is not my own. And I have no control whatsoever over what happens to it. I wanted God’s plan to happen in my life but He asked me to do one thing first: SURRENDER. God’s invitation of surrender involved more than just lifting up my life, it meant letting it go: my worries, my problems, my sins, my difficulties, my trials, my struggles, my pain, my shame, my sorrows. And when I understood what “surrender” required from me, I also understood why I found it so difficult to do. I could not completely abandon everything to God because I still wanted to have some sort of control over my life. I needed to “surrender” everything to Him, allow Him to take it all away until all I have is HIM.
I don’t for a moment delude myself it will be easy. I will make mistakes. I will break my word. I will get tired. I will falter. I will take matters into my own hands again. But there lies the greatness of our God. That even in my glaring, unabashed and undeniable imperfection, He, God of the known and unknown universe STILL LOVES ME. Who can even begin to fathom that?
The evil one will tell me I am not worthy to be called, to be blessed, to be forgiven, to be loved, to be sent. But only God has the authority to tell me that! There may be nothing in this world I can call my own, not even my life—but God’s love for me, NO ONE and NOTHING could ever take that away!
In truth, surrendering to God is not about being exempt from the troubles of this world. I don’t imagine there is escaping that. It is more about allowing God to be the GOD OF OUR LIVES. And trusting Him to do what He does best, love us.
Some of the situations I find myself in right now are very painful. Some things and people, He needed to take away. Sometimes I still find it difficult to understand how it all works or where it all leads. My heart still has questions left unanswered. But all this only showed me why I HAVE TO TRUST IN HIM COMPLETELY: I simply do not have the answers. My human understanding is so flawed and limited before our God. And everyday I tell Him that to remind myself also. I only see and understand what is before me today. Our God sees our past, present and future all at once because our God is unbound by neither time nor space. His knowledge is limitless. I do not know what the future holds, but I trust our God who does know. He is the Author and Architect of my life. There is no reason why I should not wholly abandon my life to Him.
Knowing and accepting that I do not know it all allows me to remain faithful even at times when I find myself walking in darkness. Knowing and accepting I am just God’s steward of this life allows me to accept the trials and face them with God’s courage and strength. My heart rejoices in the knowledge I am nothing yet I belong to God. And He reminds me daily that He is never far. When I do not feel Him His spirit moves undeniably in the people around me in a way that is so familiar that I find peace in my emptiness.
I may be at my lowest point these past few months but I feel that I am entering into a time of Great Divine Providence. And God`s invisible hand print is on everything that surrounds my life. I feel Him moving the pieces to make room for a wonderful plan. Some moves may involve suffering and pain, but God only allows it if it is necessary. And I accept this if it means His will is being done in my life.
God is such a generous God that He allows me to see His mercy and goodness in the midst of emptiness and trial. He gives me peace when I am troubled and truly, before I knock, the door is already being opened. He knows the desires of my heart, even before I utter a single word. He is already at work making things possible to provide for all my needs.
My friends, when your heart begins to doubt and you feel your faith wavering, God has a question for you. It is what He asks me each time I allow myself to be afraid: “Am I not God?”
If you believe in God and if you believe HE LOVES YOU, no matter what situation you are in right now: losing a loved one, breaking up with the person you love, fighting with your best friend, being in a financial crisis, having a family divided by pride and indifference, remaining unemployed, suffering from sickness, being single for so long, having your heart broken, waiting for love to come---whatever situation you are in right now, look for God’s hand print in your life. He is already moving the pieces to make way for His great plan for your life too! I truly believe that we are all entering into a time of great divine providence! Because of God’s love for you and me, we deserve only God’s best!
Let us not settle for relationships that hurt more than heal; careers that makes us miserable; friendships that alienate us from God and our families; habits that lead us closer to death’s door than to the purposeful life God meant for us; pursuits that benefit no one but ourselves; and lives that are not patterned after God’s wonderful plan!
Ask God to be God in your life right now and He will not make you wait long before He responds! Surrender everything to His loving and capable Hands and His best will come your way before you even know it! Never forget that God loves you. And never let the evil one tell you otherwise. If I deserve God’s best in my life then so do you!