WATCHWORD:
“Don’t say that,” he replied, “for you will go wherever I send you and speak whatever I tell you.” Jeremiah 1:7
Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Proverbs 3:5
Meditation:
God’s Plan Is Sacred
A week ago, I was driving from my home in North Manchester to meet my daughter in Bloomington Illinois, a trip I had made many times in past years, long ago. I set my GPS and was on my way. At some point in this two-hundred-mile journey, the GPS was directing me in a different route than I remembered. I thought I knew better, and ignored the turn. Forty-five minutes later, having been redirected by construction detours, I didn’t know where the heck I was and, not only that, I didn’t like what the GPS was telling me. After still another false start, and a call to my daughter, I decided to start over and put the GPS back in command and follow it. Eventually, I got there, but I was late!
God knows us better than we know ourselves. When God called upon Moses, he whined and cried out ‘choose someone else’. When God calls people it’s not because of what we think of ourselves, it is what He thinks of us. God’s plan and how we fit in is, after all, God’s plan.
When God’s call comes to us, the right response is to obey. For those who serve God there’s no need to think about it or to worry or to dither on what to say, God doesn’t need our flawed eloquence or experience. God does not need our mortal brains working on what He has already determined. Instead, the first thing we should learn to do is close our mouths and find the strength to say ‘Here am I, send me’, and then obey.
I think we get a little confused at what voice we should be listening to when the call comes. Listen to your heart. The first lesson in dealing with the call of God is to not be afraid, to not worry. We see that clearly etched in scripture in multiple forms and repetitive phrasings. Do not be afraid also implies, do not pay attention to ourselves or our surroundings, trying to figure it out, look to God’s presence and the salvation He offers.
The scripture is filled with those who have resisted the call of God, or elected not to obey. When the call of God involves messages or actions that are not always pleasant or that we disagree with or we are convinced that the message will not be well-received. Just to it, anyway. God’s instruction to Jeremiah was to tell the people that because of disobeying they would engage in war with the kingdoms of the North, but if they will return to the Lord, He would be with them and save them.
Matthew 28:20 gives the reassurance that He would be with us always, to the very end of the age. Even my Bluetooth GPS knew more about the route I was taking, construction detours, etc., but I thought I knew better. The result? I got lost! God’s work can only be accomplished by God himself. Success does not depend on human ingenuity or common sense, but on God’s will. God’s Plan is Sacred…that wold be God’s G-P-S. Don’t over-rule it, just follow it. Remember, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (NIV). So be it.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank you for giving us a life and the purpose for existing. We also thank you for granting us the ability to speak, and to act. Please empower us and help us find courage and grace to speak boldly and to act fully within your will. Amen.
