Quit guessing

But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:36–44)

Yesterday I repeated to my praying friends that I’ve never been able to second-guess God. I’ve learned that too much of my prayer requests are more like telling Him what I want Him to do, and His response is never what I thought it would be and always a surprise, not a surprise that He answered, but exactly what He did about the issue.

This means that that He has taught me to stop speculating. I cannot say, “Maybe God will do this or that” because I have no clue what His plan is or what He will do. I am not God and even making suggestions to Him about how to answer my prayers is simply impertinent. 

As I read what Jesus said about His return, it seems important that even He does not know the day or the hour. Some might say this is His humanness talking, but as God He must know. Yet I read it again — He says only the Father knows, not the Son.

Why? Well, if I am to be like Jesus, this is a trust issue. He is coming back. My role is not speculation about the time or how it will happen, but to be doing what He says. I could waste a lot of time researching all the definitions and descriptions when He asked me to have coffee with my neighbor who needs to hear the gospel. He will let me know what I should be doing, not what He is doing.

Even if I could figure it out, the last line verifies that being ready is more important, for He will not show up when I expect it. So all my ideas are useless anyway.

Jesus, You convince me to be alert to Your Spirit and involved in whatever Your will is for me. Only vanity can make me think this day or year or whatever. You also convince me that how and when You do show up, no one will be able to say, “I told you so.” 

 

No one can second guess God

A young friend and I discussed the principle of how giving generously is often rewarded by blessings that come in from unexpected places. I told her a few stories about Christians who experienced surprises from God when they freely gave to others and added that I don’t know how that works.

She (not a Christian) replied, “I guess a person would have to be God to figure it out.” How true. We do not understand the mind of God. His plans are seldom what we would plan and are always a surprise when He reveals them to us.

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:6–9)

A few weeks ago someone asked if I believed in healing. Of course I do. He wanted to pray for me so he did. I know God could have healed my irregular heart in that instant but I shared with him that I trusted the Lord to the point that healing or not, He knows what He is doing. In the days since then, God has taught me much about myself and about Him that I could not have learned had I been healed. His thoughts are definitely higher than mine.

Many years ago, my hubby was not a Christian and seemed uninterested. We were living in a city that was huge and full of many religious groups and philosophies. The odd part was that God clearly told me to stay home rather than go to church on my own or with the kids. We listened to good Christian programing on the radio, but I was severely criticized for not attending a church. I was concerned too as this city is known for many false religions and cults. I didn’t want to pick the wrong thing.

After a few months, we had some concerns about one of our children’s safety where we lived and hubby decided we should go to church. God indicated that I keep my opinions to myself and let him pick the place. He used the Yellow Pages to find a Baptist church near our home. The sermon that Sunday was strange and from the Old Testament, not a message that I even remember. However, the Lord used it to speak to my husband and He was saved that day! God’s thoughts are definitely higher than my thoughts.

Our family has story after story of situations where we prayed and God answered with a surprise. I’m convinced that He is not only creative, but He cannot be predicted nor does He do the same thing twice.

Right now, I feel at a junction. My health may or may not be vastly improved when this pacemaker gets hooked up. I pray for opportunities to share the love of God with others and some days, all I want to do is sleep. Life is totally unpredictable. I’m surprised when others say I am a blessing to them. Who would have guessed? God does things with five loaves and two fish that are offered by little children who have no idea what He can do with them. Our part is to obey.

If anyone thinks being a Christian is boring, then shame on whoever gave them that idea. We serve a God who is full of ideas and surprises, all based on His great love. He knows what is best for us, but also goes beyond all we can ask or imagine! Following Jesus is an adventure filled with surprises.

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Jesus, the classroom of life has been busy this past few weeks, even with all the naps and lack of ambition on my part. You always know what You are doing and I’m absolutely certain that You smile while You prepare the next surprise answer to my prayers.

WWJD?

This morning, Tozer’s devotional says that Christianity is the religion of the divine example and bids his readers to “Ask yourself what would Jesus do if He were here?”

This echoes a book by that title, shortened to WWJD? This acronym was put on bracelets, t-shirts, etc. to remind Christians to ask themselves that question and govern their lives accordingly.

Personally, I’ve not found that question very helpful. I do pray for the Lord to guide me but have learned that I cannot predict what He will do; I’ve never been able to second-guess God. In other words, most of the time I’ve no idea what Jesus would do.

However, there are clues. The Bible tells the attitudes of Jesus. He is forgiving, loving, hates sin and so on. I’m supposed to think like He thinks. By that, I often can figure out what I should do based on His attitudes.

For instance, the following passage describes the heart of a Christian who loves Jesus and wants to do what He would do. It parallels an almost identical passage in Ephesians showing that these thoughts and behaviors are what I would be thinking and doing when filled with the Holy Spirit . . .

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:12–17)

Because of these verses, I can figure out what Jesus would do if another believer is in trouble, or has sinned, or is bragging, or is irritating. I can figure out what Jesus would do if someone is acting in ignorance or grumbling. I can also figure out what Jesus would do if I were given a ghastly chore or someone took advantage of me. Nearly every situation of conflict and other problems has an answer in the above passage.

Life poses other questions, however. Some are more vital than others. For instance, where should I work? What kind of coat should I buy? How often do I take a vacation? What should I have for supper? Some Christians would say we are to use common sense — even though that commodity is not as common as they suppose. Others say if you are not willfully sinning you can do whatever you want to do. I’m a bit leery of that too because my ‘I-wants’ can take me down a slippery slope.

Instead, I prefer the first choice of having the attitudes of Jesus Christ. These flow out of being filled with the Spirit and having His Word richly implanted in my head and heart. Knowing the power of sin, this is no guarantee that all choices will be perfect, yet He makes this promise:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)

Besides, thinking I know what Jesus would do can be spiritual pride, a form of trusting my own understanding. Far better to go to Him in humility that I haven’t a clue what to do but do know He will guide me. The outcome is usually a surprise — not contrary to His Word yet nevertheless an answer that I’d not have figured out on my own.

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Jesus, You tell me to follow You like a child takes the hand of her father having no clue where the path will lead but trusting that daddy knows best because he always does. I do not always need to know WWJD, only to humbly hold tight to Your faithful hand.

Faith is not about making assumptions

God whispered to me, “Pray for her and I will heal her.” I believed Him and prayed, thinking she would overcome her illness. She deteriorated. I wondered about God’s words, yet continued to pray for her, not for healing as much as for comfort. She died last week. My first thought was, “He did it; now she is healed.”

Chambers says our faith must be tested. One of those tests concerns what we actually believe. How do I interpret God’s promises? For my friend, first I thought He would make her physically well in this life. Now I realize that He planned perfect healing for her in His presence. She without illness for eternity, never to struggle and suffer again.

Jesus’ friend Lazarus was sick and died. Jesus wept, but not because Lazarus was dead; He knew that would not last . . .

Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:38–40)

Martha and her sister, Mary, experienced a test of their faith. In this case, Jesus told them, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said she believed he would “rise again in the resurrection on the last day” (verse 23-24), but that was not what Jesus meant by His promise. He brought Lazarus back to life on that very day.

Many of God’s promises could mean at least a couple of things. Another example is this one:

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9–11)

If I am praying for an unsaved person, I could call on God to fulfill this in that person’s life, but does He mean that ‘every tongue confess’ in their life on this planet? I know that all will be resurrected, some to eternal life and others to eternal damnation. All will recognize the Lordship of Jesus Christ, but not all of them will do it willingly. I can pray that a person will bow the knee to Jesus and confess He is Lord because that is a great prayer, but I cannot claim that He will do it this week or even in their lifetime.

One thing I most like about being a Christian is that God continually surprises me. I have no idea what He is going to do next, and I’ve never been able to second-guess Him. His ways are loftier than mine; His thinking is far greater and wiser, above all that I can ask or imagine.

For that reason, I need to be wary of assumptions. Even though I have faith, my faith is in Him and in His choices and decisions, not in events or actions that I want or predict. Tested faith eventually realizes that whatever happens next is up to the Lord.