Running In Faith

This week’s Bible study lesson was on God being in control. Even though I have read that cliche, yet TRUTHFUL statement what seems like a million times, it always hits me between the eyes.

There was a quote in there by Max Lucado that says: “When God doesn’t do what we want, it’s not easy. Never has been. Never will be. But faith is the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life and he will get us through it. Remember, disappointment is caused by unmet expectations. Disappointment is cured by revamped expectations.”

It is so easy to give up on God sometimes, isn’t it? Not a “I’m totally done with you” attitude, but I can think of times in my life when I think my timing is just SO much better than God’s. I wonder why He wouldn’t answer a specific prayer for so long or even at all. I wonder when He would answer a prayer, why He would answer it that way? I sometimes think that my thoughts are better than His, causing me to “give up” on Him in a way. Give up on His perfect plan for me.

How foolish. How ashamed I am.

Like I said in the previous post, I have a hard time dreaming sometimes. But maybe it’s because when I do dream, I have unrealistic expectations. I expected God to say “yes” to us having our own kids. Little did we know, that He had a MUCH GREATER plan in the works. Granted we had no clue at that time that it would take a year for Him to reveal this new kid-plan to us, but how foolish to assume that since we can’t have our own, that that is IT. So thankful He is in control and we are not.

I have been disappointed in the past with how things have gone because I have had unmet expectations. Who doesn’t expect to just have a child someday, naturally? Seems like a fairly normal expectation. I have learned to never expect anything normal, but to live expectantly. If we expect our lives to be “normal” we are shutting the door to God acting in extraordinary ways. We need to LET Him carry out His plan extraordinarily. If we close our minds with having unrealistic expectations, we close the door to God’s extraordinary ways.

So how do we move forward from disappointment?

Faith. I think Max Lucado put it so well – God knows MORE than we do about THIS life and He WILL get us through it. The truth that God is all-knowing, should enough give us comfort. But often times it is not. We want something tangible to hold on to. We just want a clear-cut answer layed out for us. God doesn’t work that way because little do we know, He is orchestrating another plan behind our back, with other people, setting up a situation just perfectly so that when we eventually step into it, we will know EXACTLY the direction we should go.

Maybe you get sick of hearing about this, but I just can’t stop talking about it. I think about the fall of 2010. Having our own kids could cause severe damage to my heart and possibly cause death. For a whole year, God was working behind the scenes in Brenda’s life and family, unknown to me – FOR A WHOLE YEAR. That is a LONG time! Then God brought Tim and Brenda over to house to tell us what God had been doing in their life. Talk about God setting up a situation just perfectly, so that we had no question, but to just step into the plan and run with it. And we continue to run. And we continue to run with anticipation. And we continue to run in faith.

I am so thankful that we serve a sovereign God. Aren’t you? How much more complicated our lives would be if we didn’t have someone watching out for us 24/7 – even working while we are sleeping. What a mighty God we serve!