I often hear the quote, "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans." A very wise mentor of mine says it this way, "When our desires, doesn't match up with God's design, God always comes out on top."
I have really been personally dealing with this issue lately, and it's even come up in the lives of a few close friends of mine who has shared with me. I believe that God has the best plan for our lives, but at what point do we recognize that what He has in store for us, is so much greater than anything we could think of. Even if it's our hearts desire.
Psalms 37:3-4 says, "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." (ESV)
For many of us, the desires of our heart are not things that are of evil, bad, or negative at all. Most often times the opposite is true. But for the Believer, the Christian, we fail to trust that, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV).
I'm learning to appreciate God's "stops" in our lives. While we are quick to proclaim that He's ordering our steps, I believe that our "stop" are often times ordained by Him as well. Dr. Tony Evans made a statement the other day that has arrested my attention. He says, "God's delays are often tied to our development." Wow. What a statement. God wants us. He's not concerned with the cars, houses, promotion, etc. He wants YOU! And if it takes NOT getting our hearts desire to develop you into the kind of Christian He wants you to be, then I believe God loves us that much to do that.
I'm currently at an interesting place in ministry where I'm learning to trust God even when I can't trace Him. To move my desires out of the way so that God can do with me what He wills. It's never easy to be told no, or to not have something that you so desperately desire come to pass. But I take comfort in knowing that I can only see my life as mere snapshots, God can see the whole film.
My desire for everyone reading this entry is an old favorite hymn of mine.
Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
And to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, "Thus says the Lord."
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I've proved Him o'er and o'er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!
