My House in God’s Hand
Scripture:
Isaiah 29:11-13 (NLT) For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
My husband and I have been trying to sell our house for quite a long time. (Trust me when I say a long time.) We love our house. We raised 3 sons in this house, but now that we are empty nesters it is just too big. We have prayed over and over again for God to send a family that would love our house and neighbors well. We also began to pray for specific things we would like to have in a new house.
Finally, it happened. A family came through who loved the house and the neighborhood. So, with a contract in hand, we began to look and found a house that had everything we had asked the Lord for. Excitement began to build as we embarked on the adventure of purging, packing and moving on.
Then, suddenly and unexpectedly it all fell apart. Due to some unforeseen circumstances our buyers had to withdraw from the contract, which caused us to have to withdraw from a contract, which caused….well, you get the idea. The domino effect went in to play.
Not going to lie. My heart was heavy, but I knew I had a choice to make. I could wallow in self pity, or I could I could hang on to the truths I said I believed about God. I chose to rehearse the truth. Namely I rehearsed that His plan for me is for good. His plan for His people has always been for good. It hadn’t always been easy, but it had always been for good. Even in the midst of exile, a situation they most certainly struggled to understand, the prophet Jeremiah recounted to the people that God’s plan for them was good and not intended for harm. It was intended to give them a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)
In the New Testament, John 10:10 to be exact, Jesus told His followers that the thief would come to kill, steal and destroy but that He had come to give abundant life…a plan for good.
So, in light of the present house situation, I have a daily choice to make. Do I really believe that God is who He says He is? If so, then I must rest in His plan. Trusting that it is a plan for good. This situation is a complete bummer from my vantage point, but my view is limited. I know it. At least in my head I know it. Now I just need my heart to catch up.
Prayer:
God, may the truth that I know in my head about your plan for my life root itself deeply in my heart. May I rest in the fact that good and abundant does not always mean easy and smooth. Help me to always choose to give thanks even when…especially when… plans don’t work out the way I think they should. You are God and I am not!
Treasure Hunt:
Isaiah 55:8-9 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take
Psalm 139:16-17 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me,O God.They cannot be numbered!
Faith in Action:
What is one area in your life that is not going according to “your” plan? What truth can you claim from the verses you just read?
Karen Burke~Contributor
Leave a Reply