You can listen to this post on Refresh Her Podcast.
Can you think of a time when your plans were suddenly changed and things that you never even imagined took place? Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that it will all be good, but we have to trust that God is up to things we can’t even dream of!
I can clearly remember receiving a phone call that brought about a complete change of events in my plans and schedule.
The phone call was from a pastor’s wife who had a huge event planned for the ladies of their church for the next weekend. This had been on their calendar for a year, however she had learned that the speaker they had lined up got sick and ended up in the hospital! Not knowing what to do, she reached out to others asking for names of women they knew who could speak to this group of ladies. My name was one suggested, and she called to ask if I would come. I did have plans for that weekend, but as my husband and I prayed about it, we realized that this change of events was part of God’s plan for my life. Within a matter of a couple of hours, the things I had planned for were cancelled and this event in another state was added to my responsibilities. The interesting part was the theme – His Ways are Higher.
I was pressed to prepare quickly, but as I dug into this passage, I could clearly see that God had lessons He wanted to teach me about His way and His plans. He taught me that I needed to change my thoughts that are ungodly and unbiblical when surprising things happen in my life. Isaiah 55:7
He also taught me that I must abandon my ways. His Word says, Let the wicked forsake His ways. Why? Because often my way to respond isn’t always godly. I often rebel when things don’t go the way I think they should. Pouting, disbelief, and despair are not the ways the Lord would have me react.
I must also not reason, attempting to figure it all out according with my finite mind. I must let God be God.
The third way that we often respond is to rule. I call this The Jezebel Syndrome. Remember how she jumped into action when Naboth wouldn’t sell her husband the land he wanted? She jumped in and put her own plan into play, resulting in the death of an innocent man. God warns us in Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, God has a plan that is better than we can conjure up. We must put down our plans and schemes and trust what God is doing.
It’s time to forsake our way and trust God’s surprising plans which are:
Situations in which I have no control so that God will get the greatest glory.
When God does it, we can take no credit. It’s all about Him. Verse 9 of Isaiah 55 says, For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. When you consider the expanse of the skies and the heavens above us and then see that illustrating God’s plans being so much grander than ours, we can get a little idea of how lofty His ways are!
My response then must be to return. Isaiah 55:9b goes on to say, And let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. This acknowledgment of God humbles our hearts before Him. We open our hands in surrender and present ourselves, submitting even these surprising situations to God. We must repent of our wicked thoughts and ways and in faith trust Him for the unfathomable things He is doing that are grander then anything we could think of.
God used the change in my plans (and this church’s plans) that weekend to teach me more than I could ever have imagined. We all watched their theme verse lived out before us and it was incredible. I pray that each time we encounter the surprising situations, we’ll trust God more and more for His high thoughts rather than rebelling, reasoning or ruling. Friends, we can trust God with our life.
Repent if you’ve responded wrongly to things He’s allowed in your life. He will forgive and abundantly pardon and you will have the joy of joining Him in His awesome work!
do you have any sudden and surprising situations you’re dealing with right now? I’d love to pray for you. Feel free to leave a comment or email me at Refreshherblog@gmail.com and I will call your name before the Throne of God.
RefreshHer 