When We Try To Shape God's Will to Our Own

Have you ever said, “I just want to know God’s will?”

It’s a question many believers ask in the face of a dilemma or a difficult decision. We may stand at a crossroads, looking at two different paths before us, and don’t know which way to go. We fear the unknown and want God to make it clear which path is better than the other. We just want to know what to do. There are times where we need wisdom in a complex situation and we desire God to provide that wisdom. We pray for God to help us make decisions that glorify him, that are in keeping with what he has called us to do.

There are inevitably times in life when we search God’s word for wisdom and what we find clashes with our wants and desires. We read the Bible and find that our plans conflict with God’s revealed will—that what we desire is sinful and we are called to turn from it. In that moment, it is tempting to step back and say, “Did God really say…?” Or to attempt to bend what God says to conform to our own will. Or to deny his will altogether and do what we want to do anyway.

In the book of Jeremiah, we see God’s people desire to know God’s will, or at least that’s what they say they want. After the king of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and took most of the people into captivity, he left behind a small remnant to tend to the fields. The king also placed a governor over them. But a man named Ishmael led a revolt and killed the governor (Jer. 41). The people were afraid of what the king would do to them. They thought they ought to flee to Egypt. So they asked the prophet Jeremiah to tell them what God wanted them to do. They asked for God’s will: “Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the LORD your God for us, for all this remnant—because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us—that the LORD your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do” (Jer. 42:2-3). They then promised to do whatever God said.

Jeremiah then brought them God’s response: "

“If you will remain in this land, then I will build you up and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I relent of the disaster that I did to you. Do not fear the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not fear him, declares the LORD, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand. I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and let you remain in your own land. But if you say, ‘We will not remain in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the LORD your God and saying, ‘No, we will go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see war or hear the sound of the trumpet or be hungry for bread, and we will dwell there,’ then hear the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: If you set your faces to enter Egypt and go to live there, then the sword that you fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine of which you are afraid shall follow close after you to Egypt, and there you shall die” (42:10-16).

God called them to stay in the land and not flee to Egypt. He tells them he will plant them there and they will be fruitful. He calls them to trust in him, to fear him and not the king of Babylon. He promises them mercy and deliverance. But if they disobey and leave for Egypt, he warns them of punishment.

As it turns out, they don’t like what God has to say. They decide Jeremiah must be lying to them. After all, he didn’t tell them what they wanted to hear. So they go to Egypt, where they wanted to go from the beginning (Jer. 43). They didn’t trust God and sought salvation apart from him.

Isn’t that what got them into trouble in the first place? Their relentless pursuit of idolatry brought Babylon to their gates. They turned from God to pursue false saviors and he punished them by sending Babylon to defeat them. The ink was barely dried on the their new passports when they once again turned their hearts from God, seeking salvation apart from him.

In terms of their encounter with the prophet, God’s people had already determined what they would do; they didn’t want to know God’s will, they wanted his will to conform to their plans. They wanted his will shaped to fit theirs. And when it didn’t, they did what they wanted to do anyway.

The truth is, it is always God’s will that we trust him alone for salvation. It is always God’s will that we cast aside all attempts at self-rescue or deliverance from a counterfeit god. And it is always God’s will that we do what his word tells us to do.

I can’t help but think of my own wayward heart as I read these chapters in Jeremiah—as I thought of the times I’ve done the same. The times when my own foolish desires resisted doing what I know God’s word says. When I tried to find ways to fit my will in and around God’s word, bending it to shape what I want. And in the end, it revealed that I truly did not want to know God’s will at all.

But praise the Lord for his mercy! God knew what was in the people’s hearts. He knew their intentions. He knew they would turn and make their way to Egypt. And he knows what is in my own heart—the false saviors I trust in, my sinful desires, and rebellious pursuits. That’s why he sent Jesus, the One who perfectly lived the will of God. The One who cried out, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22: 42). The One who walked into God’s will, fulfilling the plan created in eternity past to bear the sins of his people.

God is merciful when we are unfaithful.

Father, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Through your Spirit at work in me, help me to want what you want. Shape my desires and plans to align with yours. Thank you for Jesus, my savior and deliverer. He alone rescues me from my sin. Help me to turn from all counterfeit loves and serve you alone.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Looking to Eternity

I once overheard someone comment about midlife saying, “There is nothing more to look forward to.”

When you are young, it seems like life is an open highway stretched out before you. All the big events of life await: graduating high school, going to college, getting your first job. Then you may aspire to get married, have children, and grow in your career. At some point, the road of life narrows. It seems like you’ve accomplished many of the goals and big milestones of life.

Now what?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Perhaps because I just finished up eleven years of homeschooling and launched my oldest off to college. As my husband and I helped my son move into his college dorm, we couldn’t believe it’s been thirty years since our own college move-in day. When we walked across the campus, memories seemed to pop out from every hallway and building. We marveled at the passage of time. In a few years, we’ll launch our youngest son. What’s next after that? Is it true that there’s nothing more to look forward to?

Sinclair Ferguson, in his book, Devoted to God, comments that for the non-Christian “the future seems long and the past short. Slowly that perspective changes. Eventually the past seems to have been all too short. And now the future seems short too.”[1] We see this in our culture. The young think they have all the time in the world. Until they don’t. Then they live life looking backwards, remembering their glory days, and clinging tightly to the remaining time they have left.

But for the Christian, time is lived differently. Ferguson says that the Christian “lives from the future into the past.” [2] We live in light of eternity, in light of our future glory. Everything is viewed through the lens of what God is doing in the present to prepare us for our future with him forever. Whatever challenges and trials we face today are the material God uses to transform us into the image of his Son. And each day brings us only closer to the day when we will be like him—to when we will see him face to face.

This means that there is more to look forward to, not less! For those of us who have met many of life’s milestones, there is an eternity ahead for us. A brand new highway awaits, one on which we’ve never travelled. And it’s a highway that never ends, it goes on forever. This is hard to imagine. We are bound by time, by the seconds, minutes, and hours that tick by every day. But there is a glorious future ahead. For the Christian, we look forward to the day when we are shed of sin once for all. We look forward to resurrected bodies in the New Heavens and New Earth. We look forward to worshipping our King on the throne, surrounded by believers of all time. We look forward to glory, perfection, unity, and joy unimaginable.

No doubt, the passage of time on this earth is fast. It seems like yesterday our future was wide open and we couldn’t wait to see what awaited. As the years and decades pass, it’s tempting to view life as though the best has already come. But the best is still to come! Christian, your eternity awaits.

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18).

[1] Ferguson, Sinclair Devoted to God p. 219

[2] p. 219.

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All is Grace

The older I get, the more I see God’s grace at work in my life. It’s like looking back at a trail you’ve hiked and seeing how far you’ve come. When I look back over the years, I see how God has carried me. I see his generous provision, his wisdom, his strength. And while I’ve long known his grace, it seems that with age comes an increased awareness of it. An increased dependence upon it. An increased wonder at its magnitude.

For all is grace upon grace.

“For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16).

All is Grace

In many ways it’s simple
and easy to understand.
Explained in just a sentence,
drawn on a napkin by hand.

A tale of love birthed and lost,
of great beauty turned to shame.
Where glory was cast aside
and death was fanned into flame.

A curse laced with a promise—
a Savior would one day come.
To claim the lost and broken,
sin and death are overcome.

There’s more beneath the story,
of a thread woven throughout,
holding the parts together,
one we cannot live without.

Grace is the primary theme,
the story of all stories.
From beginning to the end
and all for God’s own glory.

Undeserved, unearned favor—
from our first breath to the last.
From work to food to shelter
and all the things we’ve amassed.

The rain that waters the earth
and the ground that brings forth food.
The sun that warms and gives light—
all gifts granted for our good.

The Spirit’s breath that wakes us,
the faith that makes us God’s own,
the forgiveness that cleanses us,
and the joy of being known.

God’s grace also changes us,
to the image of his Son.
Cutting away sinful flesh,
until all the work is done.

Take a look and you will see.
In each and ev’ry moment,
The Lord’s favor can be found—
his hand is always present.

So when you share the story
of our fallen human race,
Remember the constant thread
of God’s amazing grace.

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Planning a Women's Retreat for Your Church

People often ask me, “What do you enjoy the most: writing or speaking?”

I usually respond by saying, “Both.”

Writing is my first love; speaking is a surprise love. I began retreat speaking because writing and speaking go hand in hand. It’s something I’m supposed to do as a writer because it is a helpful way to promote my books. But what surprised me was how much I enjoy it. I love meeting women from across the country and learning how God is at work in their communities. It encourages my heart to see the Body thriving and laboring for the Kingdom in places far and wide. The church universal is beautiful and I love meeting her.

As a speaker, I’ve attended numerous retreats over the years. As a women’s ministry coordinator, I also help plan retreats for my church. The following are some tips for those who are preparing a retreat for their own church…to read the rest of this piece, visit enCourage.

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When You Worry About All the Things

I often tell my sons I am a better Scout than they are. After all, I live by the motto: Be Prepared. I anticipate all the things that could go wrong and plan accordingly. Rain in the forecast? I have my umbrella at the ready. Cold and flu season around the corner? My medicine cabinet is stocked. Busy day ahead? We leave early in case there’s traffic.

While being prepared is often wise and prudent, for those who are prone to worry, it can sometimes facilitate and increase that worry all the more. Being prepared involves thinking about the future. It involves anticipating trouble that may lie ahead—both of which go hand in hand with worry. I found this to be true with my own heart this summer as I helped one of my sons plan for a backpacking trip out west. I looked at the weather forecast and encouraged him to pack accordingly. I reminded him to pack extra batteries for his headlamp. We prepared for injuries by packing a first aid kit. These were all good things to do.

But then I started thinking about other things that could go wrong: getting separated from the group, encountering bears on the trail, running out of supplies, etc. Add to that the fact that he and his group would be out of cell phone range for most of the trip and I found myself worried even more about those potential troubles. Especially the bears! Those worries festered and woke me up at night. I found my mind focused on future trouble.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks to weary hearts that are prone to worry about the future. He says to not worry about the daily needs of life—to not look ahead and worry about what we will eat and drink or what we will wear. He reminds us of how our Father in heaven looks after and cares for his creation, from the birds in the air to the flowers in the field and how much more important are we than they? “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (see Matt. 6:25-34).

This is such a familiar passage, one I’ve read countless times. Yet its one that continues to teach me about my heart and about my Father in heaven. Jesus here sets limits for our worries. He tells us there are things we need to focus on and things we don’t need to focus on. He’s not telling us to lay back and do nothing to prepare for tomorrow. After all, the Bible exhorts us elsewhere to labor for our food. To plant seeds and harvest them. To work hard and not be slothful. There is a certain amount of care and concern we should have. What Jesus is speaking about here is excessive worry—worry that is future focused. Worry that lives in tomorrow and not in today. Worry that pushes us to focus on ourselves and doesn’t rest in who our Heavenly Father is for us.

As John Calvin noted:

“…Christ reproves that excessive anxiety, with which men torment themselves, about food and clothing, and, at the same time, applies a remedy for curing this disease. When he forbids them to be anxious, this is not to be taken literally, as if he intended to take away from his people all care. We know that men are born on the condition of having some care…But immoderate care is condemned for two reasons: either because in so doing men tease and vex themselves to no purpose, by carrying their anxiety farther than is proper or than their calling demands; or because they claim more for themselves than they have a right to do, and place such a reliance on their own industry, that they neglect to call upon God…Each of us ought to labor, as far as his calling requires and the Lord commands; and each of us ought to be led by his own wants to call upon God. Such anxiety holds an intermediate place between indolent carelessness and the unnecessary torments by which unbelievers kill themselves. But if we give proper attention to the words of Christ, we shall find, that he does not forbid every kind of care, but only what arises from distrust.”

For those of us who worry about all the things, it can be helpful to make a list of the things God calls us to do and what he does not call us to do and then see where our worries fit. For example, we might create a two-column chart with our responsibilities on one side and those that are God’s on the other. And then we can ask our heart: Are we worried about something that is our responsibility? Or God’s responsibility? Are we focused on the task we’ve been given for today? Or focused on a future that hasn’t yet happened? Are we trusting in ourselves and our own strength? Or have we submitted our cares to God and trusted him to provide what we need?

There are some worries and concerns that deserve our attention because God has entrusted us with specific tasks and responsibilities. We ought to take our child to the doctor when she is ill. We should work hard at our jobs to provide for our family. We need to fix the leaky sink before it gets worse. These are all in our realm of responsibility. But there are other worries that are not under our rule and responsibility. These concerns are the things we bring to our Father in Heaven and seek his wisdom, help, and care. That’s what Jesus pointed out in his sermon: We can trust that God provides for all our needs. The future lies in his hands.

In the situation with my son’s trip to the mountains, there were things I had the responsibility to do: help him pack what was needed for the trip, remind him of safe hiking practices, and pray for him and his troop. The rest I entrusted to God and rested in his sovereign care. No amount of worrying on my part could impact the outcome of his trip. Corrie ten Boom said it well: “Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”

And for those who are wondering, my son returned home safe and sound from his backpacking trip. And best of all, he encountered no bears!

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A Present Help

The area of motherhood that always seems to stretch me the most is anything related to my kid’s health. From the moment my oldest was born and required extra testing and care, I felt helpless. It then persisted throughout both my son’s childhood with chronic asthma and infections. Perhaps I feel this way because I don’t have medical training so I am clueless when it comes to understanding their medical concerns. When there is a health scare, there is nothing I can do to fix the problem; I am dependent upon health experts to tell me what to do.

I felt that way recently when my oldest fell and split open his elbow while out on a caving trip with his friends. They were two hours away, in the middle of nowhere, with no cell service. By the time I found out and got him to the urgent care, twelve hours had passed. He then got an infection which the doctor fought with an intense array of antibiotics. There was nothing I could do but follow the doctor’s orders.

Except.

Except for prayer. Except for trusting in the Lord. Except for seeking his help and asking him to deliver and provide and heal.

In helpless moments, Psalm 18 reminds me: “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (v.2). And as the psalmist wrote elsewhere, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” 46:1). God is a very present help in times of trouble. Sometimes I forget that. I forget that his help is here and now. I forget that in this moment, right now, he is my rock and fortress and deliverer. Not that he was, but that he is.

He is my place of safety. He rescues me from trouble. He is my salvation.

All in the present. Right here. Right now.

So often I consider the Lord’s salvation as past tense, as something he did at Calvary over 2,000 years ago. Or even future tense, in that he has saved me for eternity and one day in the future I will meet him in glory. But in the present, in the here and now, the Bible reminds me that he is with me. He is my salvation in moments when I don’t know what to do or where to turn.

The Puritan, Richard Sibbes, wrote: “A Christian must look at the trouble with one eye, and to God with the other. See God to be your salvation. Let the trouble be what it will, if God is your deliverer. It is no matter what the disease might be, if God is your physician…God is our God. He chose us, in due time he called us, and made a covenant with us to be our God. He loves us, and preserves us…”

Life is filled with trouble. But we have a great and mighty God. He is present with us, ready to take us in as our fortress. He is our salvation—in the past, in the future, and right here, right now.

Dear friend, turn to the Lord with all your troubles and find him to be your present help.

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