Sometimes when I read the Bible I can’t believe how stupid the Israelites acted! How could God’s own people be so wishy-washy? They begged God to set them free from slavery, He does it, and not too far down the road they’re complaining again. God showed up in a big way with a huge, supersized miracle that should have been unforgettable. I thought to myself, “how could they be complaining and disobeying again?” Then I got that “blek” feeling and got down off of my high-horse. It’s not just the Israelites that forgot all that God had done for them, disobeying Him time and time again.
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
– Romans 3:23 (NIV)
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has fallen short time and time again. And like the Israelites, one area I needed to work on was patience. When it came to something I wanted in life, I had a hard time waiting for it. So instead of bringing my request to the Lord and asking Him to lead me to where He wanted me to go, I took matters into my own hands and acted hastily. I didn’t want to wait on God, so I took control. It was foolish, because then when things weren’t working out the way that I wanted them to, I would cry out to God in my discouragement and wonder what I was doing wrong. I would give over the reins for a moment and then snatch them right back.
Now it’s your turn to reflect. Do you have your own big plans for your life? Are there things that you’d like to do, goals that you’d like to accomplish? Are you waiting on God to develop His plans for your life or are you restraining God with your own insistent desires? There is nothing wrong with having desires, dreams, and plans. God puts desires in us for specific reasons.
What’s important to remember is that God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours, which means there are things that God thinks about that we couldn’t think about ourselves. Placing our hopes, dreams, plans, and goals into God’s hands and asking Him to do what He wants to do in our lives allows us to fully surrender to His will.
Later on in the Psalms it talks about how the Israelites worshiped a molten image.
“Thus they exchanged Him who was their Glory for the image of an ox that eats grass (they traded their Honor for the image of a calf!) they forgot their Savior, Who had done such great things in Egypt.”
– Psalm 106: 20–21 (AMPC)
When we are hasty and go where God is not leading us, we are exchanging His plans for our own, and usually they’re not anywhere near as good. We settle for a counterfeit version of the plan that God had for us. Why would we do this to ourselves? Why not wait for God’s best? The answer seems to be obvious when you look at the Israelites: impatience. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to worship a cow who eats grass! I want to worship the One True God Who parts the seas!
Placing our hopes, dreams, plans, and goals into God’s hands and asking Him to do what He wants to do in our lives allows us to fully surrender to His will.
Confession for today: “Lord God, today I surrender my plans for my life to You. I want all that You have for me and nothing less. I am not going to settle for a counterfeit plan, but I will pursue Your will in all that I do. Thank You for giving me the patience I need so that I can wait for Your plans to unfold in Your perfect timing. I trust You with my dreams, hopes, and desires.”
Let your light shine,
Bre
