Who’s In Charge Here?
Ever have trouble determining God’s will for your future? You’re not alone. “Do I move to Mobile or Minnesota?” “Do I retire or keep working?” “An engineer at IBM or a clerk at Sears?” “Do I marry or stay single?” “What college should my son attend?” “Is it time for children?” “Should I live near the church building or commute?”
How in the world do we know what God wants? Do we set out a fleece? Seek advice? Pray? Read the Bible? All these are right, yet there is one decision that must be made first. (Hang on, it’s a tough one.)
To know God’s will, we must totally surrender to God’s will. Our tendency is to make God’s decision for Him. I used to do that with my mom. As a child, I hated to get the flu for two reasons: (1) it hurt; (2) my mom was a nurse. Since she was an RN, she knew the fastest way to tackle the flu bug was with a needle…in my bottom. Ouch! (I grew up thinking penicillin was a dirty word.)
When she would tell me to “go get the medicine,” I would get everything but the dreaded needle. I’d come back with an armful: aspirin, Pepto Bismol© , ear drops, nose drops, ankle wraps, Vicks© Salve – anything but penicillin. But, as good moms do, she always got her point across. “Now, you know better,” she’d say with a smile, and I would go get the (gulp) needle.
Here’s the point. Don’t go to God with options and expect Him to choose one of your preferences. Go to Him with empty hands — no hidden agendas, no crossed fingers, nothing behind your back. Go to Him with a willingness to do whatever He says. If you surrender your will, then He will “equip you with everything good for doing His will” (Heb. 13:21).
It’s a promise.
Max Lucado
From his book On The Anvil