S
stevi_holy
Guest
"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me..." Jeremiah 29:11-14a
We can trust that God's intentions for our lives are always ultimately good. We can also trust that God wants only what is best for us. But how do we get there from here? How does God help us find his will for us on a daily basis? How does God help us make decisions?
I want to spend some time with you this week seeking an answer to those questions. Since I write these devotions daily, I don't where we will find ourselves by Friday, but I hope we move beyond the "scatter gun in desperation" approach to seeking God's will.
Do you know what the "scatter gun in desperation" approach is?
It's like the time that a guy, whose life was in utter turmoil, found himself late at night in a lonely hotel room. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know where to turn. He was at the end of his rope. Only then, in total desperation, was he ready to turn to God. He opened the night stand, took out the Gideon Bible, flipped it open and stabbed his finger onto the page. He had found Matthew 27:5b, "And he departed and went and hanged himself." Not satisfied with that answer, the guy tries again. He closes the Bible, whips it open and stabs another verse. This time he finds Judges 7:17b, "Look at me and do the same."
Obviously, there has to be another way. But I know that there have been times in my life, and probably in yours as well, where we have done precisely what the guy in the hotel room did - waited until the absolute last second and then expected that God would somehow magically bale us out.
God, it seems to me, wants to be more than our "celestial fireman" who comes running whenever we sound the alarm in desperation. God has identified himself to us as "Father," has revealed himself so we can get hold of him, in order that we might truly have a relationship with him. More like a loving Father than a celestial fireman.
Let's begin our week, seeking after answers to how God helps us make decisions, with the firm assurance that God is here for us. That God is available to us. That God wants to be helpful in our lives. That God really does respond to our heartfelt cries for help and guidance.
Let us pray: We pray that your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Help us, Lord God, to seek and find your will, that the decisions we make in our lives might lead us down paths pleasing to you, and useful for the sake of our neighbors. In Jesus' name. Amen.
We can trust that God's intentions for our lives are always ultimately good. We can also trust that God wants only what is best for us. But how do we get there from here? How does God help us find his will for us on a daily basis? How does God help us make decisions?
I want to spend some time with you this week seeking an answer to those questions. Since I write these devotions daily, I don't where we will find ourselves by Friday, but I hope we move beyond the "scatter gun in desperation" approach to seeking God's will.
Do you know what the "scatter gun in desperation" approach is?
It's like the time that a guy, whose life was in utter turmoil, found himself late at night in a lonely hotel room. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know where to turn. He was at the end of his rope. Only then, in total desperation, was he ready to turn to God. He opened the night stand, took out the Gideon Bible, flipped it open and stabbed his finger onto the page. He had found Matthew 27:5b, "And he departed and went and hanged himself." Not satisfied with that answer, the guy tries again. He closes the Bible, whips it open and stabs another verse. This time he finds Judges 7:17b, "Look at me and do the same."
Obviously, there has to be another way. But I know that there have been times in my life, and probably in yours as well, where we have done precisely what the guy in the hotel room did - waited until the absolute last second and then expected that God would somehow magically bale us out.
God, it seems to me, wants to be more than our "celestial fireman" who comes running whenever we sound the alarm in desperation. God has identified himself to us as "Father," has revealed himself so we can get hold of him, in order that we might truly have a relationship with him. More like a loving Father than a celestial fireman.
Let's begin our week, seeking after answers to how God helps us make decisions, with the firm assurance that God is here for us. That God is available to us. That God wants to be helpful in our lives. That God really does respond to our heartfelt cries for help and guidance.
Let us pray: We pray that your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Help us, Lord God, to seek and find your will, that the decisions we make in our lives might lead us down paths pleasing to you, and useful for the sake of our neighbors. In Jesus' name. Amen.
