Steadfast, Immovable, Abounding

This year, God has been teaching me so much about His sovereign timing. I have learned that when He has a plan, He will see it through to completion. I have learned that He has unfathomable power over all the circumstances we worry about. I have learned that He does not need me to make sure His plans are able to happen. It seems that the Spirit has barely whispered His thoughts into my heart when I have already created a dozen excuses for why His plans are unreliable, impractical, or even impossible. Sometimes, we put God in a box. We see the seemingly impossible circumstances, and we forget that our God exists outside of our tiny mindset. We forget what Jesus said: “with God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

It may be comforting that we are not alone in this. So many people in Scripture have questioned God’s sovereignty. It began in the garden, when Satan said to Eve, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Eve knew God’s plan, but she chose to question His wisdom. When Abraham and Sarah were promised a child, Sarah refused to believe God could bring about this miracle. Instead of trusting in His power over the circumstances, she tried to take the situation into her own hands, telling Abraham to use her maid Hagar to receive the promised child. Even the Apostle Peter failed in this regard. When Jesus was being arrested, Peter cut off the ear of the high priest’s slave, thinking to save Jesus from harm. He didn’t understand the purpose of Jesus’ life on earth. Jesus reproves him, saying, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” All of these fallen individuals shared a common error: they didn’t believe God’s plans were realistic, and tried to manipulate the situation to achieve the results they believed God wanted. But when the world says “realistic,” they mean humanly possible. As God tells Job: “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it” (If I could reasonably quote all of Job 38-41 right now, I would. That is such an amazing and humbling passage).

But we see a different attitude from Mary, the mother of Jesus, when she is told she will give birth to the Son of the Most High. Her response in Luke 1:38 is very simple: “‘Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.’” Can you imagine how terrified Mary must have been at this moment? She knew the derision and shunning she could receive from the Hebrew community. She knew she could face rejection from her family, her people, and her synagogue. She knew that her fiancé could even refuse to marry her. And what was even more terrifying, she knew she was going to be the mother of the Son of God. Yet even these very real concerns did not cause Mary to doubt her God. Even though God’s promise was (humanly speaking) preposterous, she didn’t try to figure out the details. She didn’t tell God His plans weren’t possible. She placed confidence in the Lord’s power over the circumstances.

That’s exactly what our attitude should be when God reveals portions of His plan to us. It is not our job to make sure God’s will can happen, and He really doesn’t need us to do it! Satan will always come up with plenty of excuses why we should distrust God and refuse to obey Him. Of course, worries and concerns may naturally arise, but we should always lay these down before the Lord, recognizing His power to accomplish His will. As Asa prayed while in battle, “‘Lord, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You” (2 Chronicles 14:11). Trust and obey the Lord’s commands. Do what His Holy Spirit is leading you to do, even when it’s hard and even when it pushes you outside of your comfort zone. Go start that Bible study He’s put on your heart. Go do something extra special for that friend who’s really hurting. Go write that blog (this is hitting way too close to home!). Go do the thing God is telling you to do, the thing you keep avoiding. Trusting God more than ourselves is one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences this life affords. It is a beautiful thing to look back on the road we have traveled and see how God’s plans come to fruition. So instead of saying, “this isn’t possible, God; I know a better way,” say: “I surrender it all—my frailties, my doubts, and my seemingly impossible circumstances. Do with them as You see fit.”